The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum has called for the cancellation of the proposed computer-based test (CBT) format in the upcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) in Nigeria. The forum argues that adopting a CBT approach will likely result in widespread failure among students, particularly in rural areas of northern states where computer skills are scarce or entirely absent.
In a statement released in Kaduna on Friday, Yerima Shettima, the National President of AYCF, 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. This, he argued, would have provided students the flexibility to opt for the format they are most comfortable with and capable of successfully attempting.
Shettima highlighted the results of research conducted by the Forum in selected northern states such as Zamfara, Jigawa, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, and Plateau, indicating that CBT exams consistently led to misleading failure rates among students attending public schools, where computer skills were often not taught.
He stated, “Even the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) 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 issues, 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 Additionally, a lack of proper and adequate computer skills, coupled with outdated desktop computers that are not properly maintained by CBT centers further exacerbate the situation.”
The call for cancellation of the CBT format in WASSCE is driven by the aim of preventing a massive failure rate among students who deserve fair and equal opportunities for success.