The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has taken action against several secondary schools in Abia State, delisting them from participating in the regional body’s exams due to their involvement in examination malpractice.
This announcement was made by the Commissioner for Education, Professor Uche Eme Uche, during a briefing with journalists in Umuahia. Professor Uche revealed that the state was recently notified by the exam body about this development.
While the commissioner did not disclose the names of the affected schools, she mentioned that they were predominantly private institutions.
Expressing disdain for any actions that could tarnish the state’s reputation, Professor Uche stated that the operational licenses of the implicated schools would be revoked as a deterrent to others.
She emphasized the state’s support for WAEC’s actions, seeing it as a necessary measure to combat the degradation of academic standards caused by unscrupulous operators in some schools.
Professor Uche further revealed that the state government had previously closed down some of these schools due to their unethical practices, lamenting that despite warnings, they persisted in taking shortcuts.
In an earlier statement, Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed that Governor Alex Otti had sanctioned the immediate renovation of 170 primary and 51 public secondary schools across the state.
He added that 10 primary and three secondary schools would be selected from each of the 17 Local Government Areas in the state for this initiative.
