Exam Fees Have Increased at WAEC; Check Out the New Fees

Exam Fees Have Increased at WAEC; Check Out the New Fees

The fees for school applicants taking the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) have been raised.

Touchaheart Nigeria reports that the charge would be increased from N13,950 to N18,000 commencing in 2022.

Mr Patrick Areghan, the Head of National Office (HNO) for the West African Examination Council, said this on Monday when announcing the release of the 2021 WASSCE results in Lagos State.

Areghan attributed the increase to the country’s unrelenting spiral inflation, as well as the worsening consequences of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. “As can be seen, in the general cost of doing business and the multiplier effect of insecurity in the country which have consequential effects on the cost of our operations, it is no longer possible to continue to provide services with the current fee of N13,950 per candidate.

“We have received approval from the appropriate quarters with effect from the WASSCE for School Candidates 2022 to charge N18,000 per candidate.

“We are, therefore, asking all schools principals to collect N18,000 per candidate for registration.

“Any amount beyond this ceiling will not be to our consent or knowledge and will definitely not come to the purse of the West African Examinations Council,” Areghan warned.

According to the WAEC head, a portion of the additional fees will be used to boost remunerations for various test officials beginning in 2022, as approved by the council’s Governing Board.

According to Areghan, a total of 1,573,849 candidates from the country’s 19,425 recognized secondary schools registered for the WASSCE in 2021.

He went on to say that out of the 1,560,261 registered candidates, 1,560,261 actually took the exam, and 1,256,990 applicants’ results were fully processed and released, while 303,271 candidates’ results were still being processed owing to unresolved issues.

The WAEC boss further continued that efforts were being made to speedily complete the processing to enable all the affected candidates to get their results fully processed and released within the next week.

“The analysis of the statistics of the performance of candidates in the examination shows that out of the 1,560,261 candidates that sat for the examination, 1,398,370, representing 89.62 percent, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects, that is, with or without English Language and/ or Mathematics.

“A total of 1,274,784 others, representing 81.7 percent obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

“Of this number, 630,138, that is, 49.43 per cent, are male candidates, while 644,646, that is, 50.57 percent, are female candidates,” he said.

According to WAEC, there is an appreciable 16.46 percent improvement in the performance of those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, which was 65.24 percent for 2020 WASSCE.