Three schools in Oyo State with the best results in the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) have received $5000 awards and endowment fund book prizes for their outstanding performance.
The prize for the overall best student in the 2020 WASCE was also awarded to Miss Victory Yinka-Banjo who attended Princeton College Aguda, Surulere, Lagos.
Victory’s cash prize of N700,000 was collected on her behalf by her mother, Dr Chika Yinka-Banjo, of the University of Lagos.
The prizes were presented at the 59th virtual/ physical annual meeting of the Nigeria National Committee (NNC) meeting of the council on Thursday in Ibadan.
The NNC is the highest policy-making organ of the council in Nigeria.
The recipient schools were Makers High School, Ologuneru, Pacesetters Comprehensive High School, Odo-Ona Elewe and Air Force Comprehensive High School, Iyana-Offa, all in Ibadan.
Presenting the prizes, WAEC National Board Chairperson and NCC Head, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir, said the three best performing schools would also be honoured with the National Distinction/Merit Awards.
She said that the council was able to successfully conduct the 2021 WASSCE for school candidates despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and insecurity in the country to the academic calendar.
Abdulkadir said WAEC further strengthened its resolve and determination to combat examination malpractice by deploying the Variable Data Printing technology to track examination malpractice perpetrators.
“WAEC synergised with the Nigeria Police Force and this led to the arrest of some supervisors, invigilators, teachers and candidates, caught in the act,” she said.
She noted that the council had also perfected its Electronic Certificate Management System – an online portal deployed to enable private candidates to request their certificates online, via the platform; certrequest.waec.ng
“Being a technology-driven examining body, the council has in addition, also continued to evolve in this regard, as it ensures that its services are easily accessible to all,” she stated.
Commercial drivers set to double fares in Calabar metropolis
Declaring the meeting open, Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, said about 43,000 out-of-school in the state have so far been reinstated back to school.
Represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr AbdulMojeed Mogbonjumola, Makinde said that his administration was determined to make education the bedrock of his administration’s development programmes.
“In achieving this, my administration implemented the free education programme, which was driven by the initiative to improve access and expand opportunities, assuring quality and relevant education provision among others.
“Education will forever remain the only veritable tool of socio-economic development and the best legacy to bequeath to the children and youth of this state,” Makinde said.
In his opening remark, WAEC’s Head of National Office (HNO), Mr Patrick Areghan, said that the council ensured that its policies in Nigeria were formulated and executed in the interest of the public.
The HNO further added that the council had put modern technology in place to ensure that examination malpractice was tackled headlong.
The highlight of the event was the award of the prizes to the best student and three schools in the 2020 WASSCE for school candidates
