Mass Failure In Private SSCE

A couple of weeks ago, one of the examination bodies in charge of the senior school certificate examinations in the country released the results of the examinations conducted late last year for its private candidates and again more than 60 per cent of them failed.

Failure in this category of examination has practically become a recurring decimal.

Going down memory lane, the particular examination body in 2018 recorded 50 per cent success in the school category. Success in the examination body’s standard is at least a credit pass in Maths, English language and any other three subjects.  But in the same year, it recorded 60 per cent failure in the private category of the SSCE; there was 83 percent failure in 2017, while in the school category it had 53 per cent pass; and 59.22 per cent in the following year in the same category of examination.

Mass failure in the result released by this body especially as it affects private candidates had almost become a norm for the examination body.

Again, eyebrows were raised but sadly, not as expected; probably because it was for private candidates or the populace was getting used to the apparent incongruity.

Without sounding uncharitable to the affected bodies, the prevailing socio-economic situation of the land might have plotted against their having candidates who are in top shape to sit their examinations. Most candidates are not well prepared; what with dearth of quality texts books committed and qualified teachers and instructors, paucity of funds to purchase educational materials and lack of adequate motivation. It may be difficult for the bodies to get the quality of expected candidates in the face of all these challenges.

However, examinations are not purposely designed to be failed as this may deter the test and its administrators from scaling the reliability and validity criteria of education test and measurement. Test is mainly an instrument to gauge the candidate’s ability. The days are gone when examination bodies took pride in the eye-of-the-needle reputation or notoriety, which surrounds candidates’ ability to pass the tests they administer.

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It is our opinion that there should be a review of the test pattern and type and their administration by these examination bodies to reflect the contemporary trend the world over. All over the modern world, premium is placed on rote learning and regurgitation of prescribed texts have been deemphasised to give way to other means.

Efforts should also be made by the member-states of the examination body and their ilk to play up the andragogic approach to learning as against the preference for the pedagogical that currently holds sway

The syllabi and subjects to be taken in the examinations should be tailored more towards the immediate and present need of the candidates’ society rather than some futuristic knowledge which the candidates may not need eventually.

With this, candidates would not have to labour too much to recollect what they had read or been taught in the examination halls as their questions would deal more about matters and issues they deal with in their day-to-day life.

We enjoin the policy makers to also take a critical look at the grading system of these examinations which may lead to its review or overhaul.

The type and mode of examination that obtains in the country has become obsolete in the modern world. For instance, in some climes the open-text examination is the preferred choice. This is as candidates are not just herded into some buildings under very unconducive environment to write tests that determine the trend their lives may follow.

In this country, candidates had been known to sit examinations under very arduous condition which could compete with what transpired in the dark ages. There had been reports of candidates sitting examination under the elements and placing their writing materials on bare floors and window sills. In situations like these, it would take other powers to see candidates excel. Sadly, this is the situation in most of these examinations centres.

Source: Leadership

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