COVID-19: WAEC, NECO Postponement Is Indefinite, Says FG

The Federal Government has reacted to the continued closure of educational institutions in the country over the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba said the postponement of examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) remain indefinite.

The Ministry of Education had in March shut tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools in the country as precautionary measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

The Minister, while noting that rendering public educational services is in the concurrent list, said the Federal Government will communicate a new resumption date to all stakeholders.

“As you are aware, we have announced that WAEC and NECO for the year have been postponed. This postponement at the moment is indefinite.

“As soon as we arrive at a definite time, we will recommunicate that. We will also be looking at what we will do in order for schools to reopen. As you will recall, we asked that schools vacate in the late part of March as soon as this broke.

“Now it will be a coordinated effort among all the states because the lockdown in various parts will definitely affect how students go to school or not or how teachers come to school or not. So it goes with that saying that nobody can reopen schools now except we coordinate all of that effort,” he said.

Speaking further, he solicited the cooperation of parents regarding efforts put in place to render online services to students staying at home during the lockdown period.

According to him, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, had directed the Ministry through the Directorate of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enable students to learn online.

Nwajiuba explained that his Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Information plans to transmit educational content to Nigerians.

He explained that currently, about 14 to 15 states in the country, including Lagos and Anambra run some educational content to carry students along.

“Right now, what has happened is that those 14 or 15 states have already commenced learning via different channels that are available in their states, mostly radio and local TV.

“What they are running is an approved NERDC curriculum. That is ongoing at the moment, not all the states have started the programme but mostly Anambra, Lagos, a few states, about 14 of them.

“We are also working with the Ministry of Information through NTA and the Federal Radio Corporation to then escalate what they have as their education content so that they can provide for everybody. They are still working on that, it is ongoing,” he said.