Julius OkorieWest African Examination Council (WAEC) and Joint Admission And Matriculation Board (JAMB), are two examination boards that inevitably cross the path of Nigerians, especially those who choose to toe the line of education.
For WAEC, it is not only about crossing the paths of Nigerians but indeed citizens of neigbouring West African countries of Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Gambia since its establishment in 1952.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelWAEC nicknamed ‘Baba Yaba’ because of its massive Head Quarters, located in Yaba area of Lagos, is thus the final determinant of how far you can go and how you even start.
Your WAEC Result Is The First Step:
Many have been forced by their inability to jump the WAEC hurdle to jettison planned academic pursuit. And what does WAEC expect from you? That you make five credits including English and Mathematics to merit consideration to go further after secondary school, to merit employment to perhaps serve as a clerk among other non-graduate jobs.
The implication of this is that you cannot even make headway academically without Baba Yaba’s certificate in your hands. Passing your papers at a sitting not only hands you the bragging right but also offers you an opportunity to choose, courses for which you are qualified or choose a job.
That of course was before unemployment and competition made it less relevant in terms of using it to seek for job.
Getting a job now with just WAEC Certificate is like passing a Camel through the eye of a needle. Cleaning jobs, security jobs, Messengerial jobs etc. that were hitherto reserved for school Cert holders have since been taken over by those with higher qualifications but of course WAEC remains the least you can have for a head start in life.
Again taking such WAEC only jobs is an invitation to long suffering because you will be working like an elephant and eating like a rat. Your salary can take you out of the office but not to your bus stop let alone taking you home, so furthering your education is a sine quo non for better tomorrow.
Between A1 And F9 Parallel:
Not many are able to make it at the first sitting, in fact the expression ‘regular customer has been used to refer to those who have to re-take WASSCE two or more times before making it. To tell you how serious this can be, some of our leaders have been submerged in controversies over whether they went to school at all or not, whether they indeed passed through Baba Yaba like others or indeed again whether they passed anything at all or triumphantly ended the romance with Baba Yaba with F-9 parallel which refers to scoring F9 in all the subjects sat for.
Talking about bragging right, imagine how satisfying it could be having to present your certificate during screening at any level, whether for admission or position and seeing that you made the papers at a sitting and better still with good grades, lets say A1 parallel.
Of course not everyone can make that, which explains why five and six credits are given as the minimal requirement by most institutions, though ironically in political circles in Nigeria it may not really matter whether you passed or not, what may be the bone of contention may be whether you sat for the examination at all. Funny, and disgusting as it can be!
For ease of admission, many institutions accept that you present two results, provided it adds up to the required five or six credits, so you could hear things like ‘six credits at two sittings.’
Because of the must-cross nature of WAEC, over the years examination malpractice has become popular, ranging from impersonation to use of copied materials smuggled into the examination hall to stationing a paid helper outside the examination hall and to even attempts at cajoling invigilators to look the other way to allow collaborative works and other sharp practices.
War Against Examination Malpractice:
The board on its part aware of this age long virus continues to introduce changes to minimise it.
From introducing a situation where two candidates will be sitting but their questions will be different in terms of numbering to gradual shift to computer based examination, where it is between you and your computer in front of you.
The Council recently announced that all its examinations will be computer based, effective 2027, which will be the melting point of changes being introduced to curb examination malpractice and ensure that candidates prove themselves by themselves so to say.
Although this upcoming move, has been criticised in some quarters with critics citing unreliable nature of power supply on one hand and the possibility of examinations centres claiming to have state of the art computers only for them to malfunction in the middle of exam causing candidates heart ache and disappointment. The board insists that is the way to go, as the world is moving towards technological advancement in all areas of life.
Crossing the WAEC Bridge is a must for all, except those who have chosen not to further their education or even seek offices requiring show of certificate.
It is worthy of note that the Nigerian constitution records WAEC Certificate as the least you can have to aspire to any elective position in the land.
The craze to contribute in bastardising the education system has also been brought to bear in the relationship between WAEC and JAMB.
Between Due Process And Fast Lane:
While there is nothing wrong with sitting for WAEC and JAMB together in anticipation that you will make your papers, it does appear that what is in vogue now can be likened to the class jumping exercise, which some parents have used to ruin their wards without knowing it.
Most parents, especially of wards in private schools, practically determine what class their wards will be. “She is too big for primary two put her in primary four, she is brilliant, she will cope.” The child jumps to primary four leaving a lacuna that would have been filled in primary three and may even be forced into JSS1 from Primary five, just because a parent thinks the ward is good enough to be in a higher class.
In the process, a Lacuna is left and the ward saunters into the university still having kindergarten orientation.
Now it is WAEC and JAMB that is in the front burner, as you are taking WASSCE, you are taking JAMB at the same time so that “We can enter university together” Many don’t seem to realise that no matter what you score in JAMB, without WAEC you can’t be admitted.
READ ALSO:Only 22% Of Candidates Scored 200 And Above In 2025 UTME As JAMB Releases Results
Unnecessary competition is making a tomfoolery of our educational system and the present day youths are more interested in the showmanship associated with “I am writing JAMB’ even if you are not qualified to get admitted into higher institution.
Why sit for JAMB when you are yet to make your papers? Do you not see a case of putting the cart before the horse here?
Some will tell you it is to get the experience. If you are good enough to pass WAEC, you will be good enough to pass JAMB where you are tested in only four core subjects, relevant to your chosen or would be career.
It is important to tell the Gen-Zee parents and their wards that life is stage by stage and must be lived piano-piano.
This unnecessary competition and jumping of classes and stages just to belong, is killing the educational system.
When Reading Become Herculean Task:
That 1.5 million candidates scored below 200 in JAMB in the recently released result is not funny. It means students are no longer reading and everyone who is contributing in one way or the other to this ugly trend should please stop, so that we can reduce the number of ‘educated illiterates in the society.
Let this children take one step at a time so that we don’t have a case where people pass through school but no sign that school passed through them.
Little wonder a parent during a recent PTA meeting shunned insinuations that she is old school and told her ward, “You will register and take JAMB, but first you must take WAEC and make your papers that is the sequence I know.”
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
