The West African Examinations Council has announced its readiness to introduce a Computer Based Test mode in its senior school examination.
Head of National Office (HNO), Mr Patrick Areghan who made the announcement on Saturday, September 23, said that introducing the CBT mode of administrating some of the council’s examinations had been part of his vision for the body in the near future.
Areghan said:
”We have already started something in terms of CBT examination. We have gone far with our planning and all of that, even in the sub-region, the registrar to the council is also doing something.
“But this is not as easy as some people will think. This is because we ask ourselves, how do we conduct CBT for practicals and essay papers?
“We can only readily do that in the case of objective questions. But so many people will not see it from that angle. They argue that some others are doing it, so why can’t WAEC do the same?
“Now, no one even talks about energy; how many schools are exposed to computer literacy? How many have computer facilities and how many have electricity to run these things?
“Even where you have all these things on the ground, how do you handle the issue of theory and practical papers? So, these are the issues, but that is what I want the council to do very shortly.
“We should be able to conduct CBT examinations, even if it means starting with the objective questions. But you can still be sure that not all schools will be ready. Maybe we can have a segregated market. Those who cannot afford the CBT will go for the pencil and paper mode.
“So, I would like to see WAEC in that light.”
