The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has issued a stern warning, expressing concerns that the compulsory computer-based test (CBT) format in the upcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) may lead to widespread failure, particularly among students in rural areas.
The group’s National President, Yerima Shettima, emphasised the necessity of making CBT exams optional, advocating for candidates to choose between the conventional pen-and-paper method and the computer-based approach.
Shettima argued that students should have the flexibility to opt for the format they feel most comfortable with, ensuring a fair assessment aligned with their capabilities.
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The forum, after conducting research in Zamfara, Jigawa, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, and Plateau, unveiled findings indicating consistently high failure rates among public school students subjected to CBT exams.
Shettima pointed out that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had already presented challenges for indigent students grappling with CBT-related difficulties, leading to a predicament during examinations.
He further highlighted that some students who faced network issues during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) last year attributed their failure to the complexities associated with the CBT format. In light of these concerns, AYCF vehemently called for the cancellation of the mandatory CBT format in WASSCE.
