Dr. Amos Dangut, the Head of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has appealed for an exemption from the nationwide strike embarked upon by organised labour. The appeal is to enable the council to conduct the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) without disruptions.
The ongoing WASSCE commenced on April 30 and is scheduled to end on June 24, 2024. The strike by organised labour began on Monday, June 3, 2024, over the Federal Government’s refusal to raise the proposed minimum wage from N60,000.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Dangut expressed understanding of the challenges faced by Nigerian workers but stressed the importance of allowing candidates to write and complete the ongoing WASSCE to avoid them being at a global disadvantage.
He said, “Today, we talk about globalization. If our children do not write the exams to fit into a global scenario, they will be at a major disadvantage. Our cause is just—workers are asking for improvements in their conditions."
Dangut appealed to all stakeholders to create an enabling environment to ensure that the exams could proceed smoothly and the country could successfully conduct the WASSCE.
He emphasized, “Let us allow our children to take the exams so they can compete with other children worldwide. We share the pains of the workers, but for the sake of our children, we must allow them to write the exams."
Dangut urged the public to support the children by allowing them to write the exams, emphasizing that WAEC is prepared to conduct the exams but needs an enabling environment to do so.
