THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

WAEC is an acronym for the West African Examinations Council, an examination

board that conducts the West African Senior School Certificate Examination
(WASSCE) for candidates residing in Anglophone West African countries such as
Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and The Gambia.

History

The West African Examination Council was formed after The University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, the University of London School
Examinations Matriculation Council, and the West African Departments of
Education met in 1948, concerning education in West Africa.

The meeting was called to discuss the future policy of education in West Africa. At
the meeting, they appointed Dr. George Barker Jeffery (Director of the University
Of London Institute Of Education) to visit some West African countries, so as to
see the general education level and requirements in West Africa.

At the end of Jeffery’s three-month visit (December 1949 – March 1950) to

Ghana, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, he tendered a report (since known
as Jeffery report) strongly supporting the need for a West African Examination
Council, and making detailed recommendations on the composition and duties of
the Council.

Following this report, the groups met with the governments of these countries,
and they agreed on establishing a West African Examination Council, fully
adopting Jeffery’s recommendations.
 Establishment of the Council

The Council was established in 1952 with the purpose of conducting examinations
in the public interest and awarding certificates that are equivalent to other
certificates of examining authorities internationally.

The legislative assemblies of Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia passed
an ordinance (West African Examinations Council Ordinance NO. 40) approving
the West African Examination Council in December 1951.

The Ordinance agreed to the coordination of exams, and issuing of certificates to

students in individual countries by the West African Examination Council. Liberia
later issued its ordinance in 1974, at the annual meeting held in Lagos,
Nigeria.good

After establishing the examination council, the council called the first meeting in
Accra, Ghana in March 1953. In that same meeting, five committees were formed
to assist the council. These committees are the Administrative and Finance
Committee, School Examinations Committee, Public Service Examinations
Committee, The Professional, Technical and Commercial Examinations
Committee, and the Local Committee.

Examinations Conducted By WAEC

The council conducts four different categories of examinations. They are

International Examinations, National Examinations, Examinations conducted in
collaboration with other examining bodies, and Examinations conducted on
behalf of other examining bodies.
The International exams are exams taken in the five countries are:

WASSCE (West African Senior School Certificate Examination).

1. The National examinations are taken in individual countries. They include:

2. The Junior Secondary School Certificate for Nigeria and the Gambia,
3. Junior and Senior High School Certificate Examinations for Liberia,
4. National Primary School and Basic Education Certificate Examinations for
Sierra Leone,
5. Basic Education Certificate Examinations for Ghana, and
6. Senior School Certificate Examinations for Ghana.

The council also coordinates examinations in collaboration with some trustworthy

examination bodies. These include: City and Guilds of London Institute, Royal
Society of Arts, and the WAEC Research Institute

The council also conducts examinations in West Africa on behalf of international

examination bodies. These include:

 University of London GCE

 Scholastic Aptitude Test and Graduate Record Examinations for Educational
Testing Service, Princeton, USA, and
 JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board) examination in countries
outside Nigeria.

The council issues credible and reliable certificates to candidates that participate
in the Examinations. And the standard of these certificates matches that of the
United Kingdom.
 Vision

To be a world-class examining body, adding value to the educational goals of its

stakeholders.

Mission

To remain Africa's foremost examining body, providing qualitative and reliable

educational assessment, encouraging academic and moral excellence and
promoting sustainable human resource development and international co-
operation.

Core Values

 Excellence
 Integrity
 Professionalism
 Accountability
 Transparency
 Team work
 Innovativeness

The Functions of the West African Examinations Council are:

1. Maintenance of internationally accepted procedures

Being an examination council overseeing and controlling the West African states,
the West African examinations council plays a role in ensuring compliance with
procedures that are accepted internationally. This is done to ensure uniformity in
operations.
2. To keep providing qualitative and reliable educational assessment

Through the different subunits of the West African examinations council, the
council makes a routine inspection aimed at assessing the quality of educational
service delivery.This is done to ensure that a high-quality education is delivered in
the West African sub-region, making her compete favorably with other regions.

3. To keep promoting sustainable human resource development, mutual

understanding, and international cooperation

The West African examinations council helps in human capacity development

through its various programs aimed at achieving that.

It also breeds unity and peaceful coexistence among states of the West African
region. It can be inferred that educational advancement has greatly united the
West African region and this has been made possible by the West African
examinations council.

4. Promotion of educational projects

In a bid to promote academic excellence, the West African Examinations Council

helps to support and promote educational projects. This is made possible through
the endowment funds channeled in this wise.

5. Adding value to education

Generally, the West African Examinations Council through a painstaking
evaluation and assessment of the educational system, adds value to education in
the West African region.

Through its outlined syllables, the West African syllables help groom the students
in their different fields of endeavor, while bracing them up with the latest
innovations.

The roles of the West African examinations council in the education sector of the
West African sub-region have been so invaluable to the sustainable growth and
development of the sector and such strides are commendable and worth
emulating.

The roles of Waec that goes with the curriculum development in Nigeria

During its early years, WAEC was majorly involved in Nigeria’s curriculum
development. This included inspecting school with the aim of approval and
admitting their pupils for Cambridge Overseas School Certificate (which changed
to West African School Certificate) as private candidates (Alade, 2011). This was
therefore significant in the development of Nigeria's curriculum since it made
grammar schools to include the many subjects that WAEC examined.

WAEC determines the examinations required in the public interest in the English-
speaking West African Countries, and to conduct such examinations and award
certificates of comparable standard to those of similar examining authorities,
world-wide.
WAEC has also played a vital role since they write a yearly report for examiners to
guide students on answering questions.

Moreover, WAEC regulates all educational evaluation forms and development of

both general certificates or school certificate and advanced levels (Idowu, 2012).
It develops, plans and evaluate the curriculum.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, WAEC's impact on education reforms in West African countries is

evident through its influence on standards, curriculum development, and
examination formats. By setting high standards, collaborating on curriculum
development, and promoting critical thinking through its examination formats,
WAEC has played a pivotal role in shaping educational policies and practices. As
West African countries continue their journey towards educational excellence,
the partnership between education reforms and WAEC remains a crucial catalyst
for progress.