CBT WASSCE: Mass Failure Looms In The North, Format Should Be Scrapped – Arewa Youths

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum has said the proposed computer-based test format in the forthcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examinations in the country will lead to mass failure for students in the North.

The forum noted that research it conducted in selected northern states such as Zamfara, Jigawa, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, and Plateau, revealed that the CBT exams had consistently led to misleading failure rates among students attending public schools, where computer skills were often not taught

The forum called for the cancellation of the proposed computer-based test format.

According to the forum, if allowed, there would be mass failure for students, particularly in rural areas of northern states where computer skills are scarce or completely absent.

In a press statement on Friday by the National President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima in Kaduna, the forum asserted that the CBT exams should have been optional, allowing candidates to choose between the traditional pen-and-paper format and the computer-based approach.

He said this would allowed students to opt for the format they were most comfortable with and capable of attempting successfully.

He stated, “Even the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board CBT exams have placed underprivileged students in a predicament as they struggle to answer questions in a format they are unfamiliar with.

“Many students who failed the CBT-based JAMB exams last year argued that their failures were a result of systemic failures, including insufficient facilities or network failures during the exams. Additionally, a lack of proper and adequate computer skills, coupled with outdated desktop computers that are not properly maintained by CBT centers further exacerbate the situation.”