DO U KNOW HOW WAEC/NECO AND JAMB SET AND MARK EXAM PAPERS IN NIGERIA?

1.WE HAVE OFTEN HEARD STUDENTS MAKING WILD ALLEGATIONS THAT UTME, WAEC OR NECO ARE THEIR WORST ENEMIES. SOME IN FACT, SEE THE OFFICIALS OF THESE BODIES AS WICKED SOULS SCHEMING DAY AND NIGHT DEVISING WAYS FOR  FAILING THEM. HOW CORRECT ARE THESE ASSERTIONS? THE FACTS BELOW SPEAKS FOR THEMSELVES!

2.THE TASKS OF SETTING AN EXAMINATION PAPER BEGINS LONG BEFORE THE EXAMINATION DAY, INDEED, MONTHS OR YEARS BEFORE THEN. SEASONED EXPERTS IN  VARIOUS SUBJECTS ARE GIVEN THE TEACHING AND EXAMINATION SYLLABUSES AND REQUESTED TO SET QUESTIONS. THESE ARE COMPILED FOR SUBSEQUENT SCRUTINY. THEN A SECOND SET OF EXPERTS ARE INVITED TO EXAMINE THE QUESTIONS CRITICALLY, MAKE NECESSARY MODIFICATIONS AND COME UP WITH QUESTIONS THAT CONFORM TO ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS. THE RESULT OF THIS EXERCISE IS A SET OF POLISHED AND MOSTLY UNAMBIGUOUS QUESTIONS THAT ARE VERY FAIR TO THOSE BEING EXAMINED. THESE QUESTIONS ARE THEN SECURELY STORED.

3.THE NEXT STAGE IS THE REGISTRATION OF CANDIDATES. THIS STAGE INVOLVES NOT JUST THE EXAMINING BODY, BUT ALSO THE CANDIDATES, THEIR PARENTS, THEIR TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS AND SOME OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. THIS IS SO BECAUSE APART FROM THE CANDIDATES HAVING TO SUPPLY NECESSARY INFO  FOR WAEC AND NECO THEIR PRINCIPALS HAVE TO ENDORSE THEM WHILE THE PARENTS HAVE TO PROVIDE THE REGISTRATION FEES. ANY MISTAKE OR INACTIVITY ON THE PART OF ANY OF THESE MAY RUIN THE CHANCES OF CANDIDATES. IF THE CANDIDATES MAKE MISTAKES IN INFORMATION SUPPLIED OR IF THE PRINCIPAL DOES NOT FORWARD THE REGISTRATION FEES AT THE RIGHT TIME THEIR CHANCES IN THE EXAMINATION MAY BE JEOPARDIZED.

4.NEXT IS THE CONDUCT OF THE EXAMINATION ITSELF AGAIN, MORE OFFICIALS FROM OUTSIDE THE EXAMINATION BODIES THAN FROM WITHIN THEM ARE INVOLVED.THINK OF THE SUPERVISORS, THE INVIGILATORS, AND EVEN THE SECURITY OFFICIALS. THEY ARE DEFINITELY MORE IN NUMBER THAN THE STAFF OF THE EXAMINING BODIES  AND ANY ONE OF THEM CAN TAKE AN ACTION THAT MIGHT RESULT IN THE FAILURE OF CANDIDATES.TAKE THE INVIGILATOR FOR INSTANCE. IF HE IS NEGLIGENT CANDIDATES COULD SWAP ANSWER SCRIPTS UNDER HIS VERY NOSE AND WHEN THIS IS DETECTED BY THE MARKERS AS IS OFTEN THE CASE IN WAEC/NECO EXAMS. THE RESULTS OF THE CANDIDATES MAY BE WITHHELD OR EVENTUALLY CANCELLED.

5.PROBABLY, THE MOST HATED WAEC/NECO PERSON TO THE CANDIDATE IS THE MARKER WHOM THEY, IN THEIR IGNORANCE, REGARD AS A WICKED DRUNKARD WHO DELIGHTS IN FAILING CANDIDATES. WHAT CANDIDATES DO NOT REALIZE IS THAT AN EXAMINER IS TRAINED TO SCORE POINTS STRICTLY ACCORDING TO A CAREFULLY PREPARED MARKING SCHEME FROM WHICH HE MUST NOT DEVIATE. IT IS HIS CONSTITUTION. BESIDES, HIS WORK IS CONSISTENTLY CHECKED BY THE TEAM LEADER AND WITHOUT ACCURACY HE COULD BE REMOVED/ AND BLACKLISTED. SO CONTRARY TO STUDENTS’ OPINIONS THE EXAMINER IS A SEASONED TEACHER, A CAREFUL SCORER, A PERSON ALWAYS ON HIS GUARD.

6.THE FINAL STAGE IN ALL THE EXAMS COMES WITH THE COLLATION OF RESULTS. THIS STAGE IS MAINLY COMPUTERIZED AND COMPUTERS DO NOT MAKE MISTAKES EXCEPT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THEIR PROGRAMMING. A CANDIDATE’S RESULT MAY NOT BE PROCESSED IF HE IS INVOLVED IN MALPRACTICE, HAS USED A WRONG EXAMINATION NUMBER OR NO NUMBER AT ALL OR IF IN WAEC/NECO, HE FAILS TO WRITE ALL THE PAPERS. SO, WHEN A RESULT IS WITHHELD THE FAULT IS MOSTLY THAT OF THE CANDIDATE.

7. HOW THEN SHOULD WE VIEW THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PUBLIC EXAMINING BODIES? DEFINITELY, WE SHOULD VIEW THEM WITH UNDERSTANDING, SYMPATHY AND APPRECIATION.WE SHOULD ALSO NOTE THESE PROCESSES TO STIMULATE AND MOTIVATE US TO BETTER PERFORMANCE.