Arewa youths Kick against WAEC CBT, says Will Cause mass failure in North

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has kicked against the proposed computer-based test structure for the next West African Senior School Certificate Examinations in the nation.

The forum argued that if such a mode of examination is introduced, it would result in mass failure for students, particularly in rural areas of northern states where computer skills are completely absent.

The National President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima, in a statement on Friday, called on the examination body to make CBT exams optional, and candidates should be allowed to choose between the traditional pen-and-paper format and the computer-based approach.

Shettima further said that research conducted by the Forum 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.

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 Additionally, a lack of proper and adequate computer skills, coupled with outdated desktop computers that are not properly maintained by CBT centres further exacerbate the situation.”

The AYCF president explained that the call became imperative to prevent a massive failure rate among students who deserved fair and equal opportunities for success.