The West African Examinations Council has clarified that the remedial examination recently discussed on a Ghanaian television program is not a novel initiative for Nigerian candidates.
According to an online report, WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, mentioned during an interview on JoyNews’ AM Show in Ghana on Tuesday, December 31, that the remedial option is part of the existing framework.
Speaking on Monday, Head of the Nigeria Office at WAEC, Dr. Amos Dangut, explained that Nigerian candidates have had the opportunity to resit failed subjects for over six years.
He emphasized that candidates who do not pass all required subjects during their school exams are not required to retake the entire examination.
Instead, they can opt to resit only the subjects they failed through the private candidate exams.
“As for the recent buzz about a resit option in February, this is not a new concept but rather an extension of the existing structure of private candidate exams,” said Dangut. “If a candidate has completed formal schooling and failed a subject or two, they are expected to sit for the private candidate exams. This could be perceived as a ‘resit’ for those who have already taken the school exams but need to remedy their results.”
He further explained that this system has always been a critical part of the process for obtaining a WAEC certification in Nigeria, offering students the chance to improve their results without retaking the full exam.
Dangut also noted that the recent development in Ghana reflects an increasing demand for flexible opportunities for students to address deficiencies in their results.
“It’s important to note that while the option exists for private candidates, the rules differ for those who take the school candidate exams. After completing formal schooling, candidates cannot retake the entire exam if they fail a subject. Instead, they must take the private candidate exam to remedy the deficiency,” he clarified.
