CORPORATE PROFILE OF THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

1
CORPORATE PROFILE OF THE WEST AFRICAN
EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

• MATTHEW P. NDURE
• REGISTRAR/ CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

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Background Information on WAEC

• A non-profit-making organisation.
• The Governments of The Gambia, Ghana (then Gold
  Coast), Nigeria and Sierra Leone enacted the West
  African Examinations Council Ordinances in 1951.
• Established in 1952.
• Liberia became the fifth member of the Council
  in 1974.

3
The Ordinances Establishing WAEC

• Charged the Council with the task of determining
  the examinations required in the public interest
  in West Africa
• Empowered it to conduct such examinations
• and award certificates, provided that the
  certificates did not represent lower standards of
  attainment than equivalent certificates of
  examining authorities in the United Kingdom.

4
The Convention Establishing WAEC

• In March 1982, the Governments of the five member
  countries signed The Convention Establishing The
  West African Examinations Council.
• The Convention came into force in August 1984.
• The Convention gives the Council legal
  personality as an international body and provides
  a uniform legal backing to its operations in all
  the member countries.
• A Headquarters Agreement signed with the
  Government of Ghana in 1987 gives certain
  concessions and privileges to the Council to
  facilitate the operations of its Headquarters in
  Accra, Ghana.

5
WAECs Vision

• To be a world-class examining body, adding
  value to the educational goals of its numerous
  stakeholders.

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WAECS Mission

• West Africas foremost examining board,
  developing and maintaining internationally-
  accepted procedures in its examinations,
  providing qualitative and reliable educational
  assessment, encouraging academic and moral
  excellence among the youth, and promoting
  sustainable human resource development, mutual
  understanding and international co-operation.

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Strategies of Achieving WAECs Mission

• Developing a team of well-trained and
  highly-motivated staff
• Developing and administering examinations that
  are both valid and relevant to the educational
  aspirations of member countries
• Awarding certificates that enjoy international
  recognition

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Strategies of Achieving WAECs Mission (Contd.)

• Promoting the ideals of hard work and honesty in
  the youth through the recognition and celebration
  of excellence
• Providing efficient and affordable service to its
  clientele through rational utilization of
  resources
• Being the beacon of international co-operation
  through the creation of a forum for dealing with
  issues of common interest.

9
The Administrative Structure of the Council

• The Chief Executive of the Council is the
  Registrar, who operates from the Councils
  Headquarters in Accra.
• A Head of National Office represents the
  Registrar in each country.
• The Registrars Planning and Co-ordinating
  Committee, made up of the Registrar, the five
  Heads of National Office and the most senior
  management staff, is the highest administrative
  organ of the Council.
• The offices of the Council are the Headquarters
  and the National Offices.

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Functions of the Headquarters

• Co-ordinating the work of the National Offices
  and implementing the decisions of Council and
  its International Committees
• Co-ordinating such activities as syllabus and
  test development and research so as to ensure
  the maintenance of standards and uniformity of
  application of those standards in each member
  country
• Planning and executing general administrative and
  personnel policies of the Council in addition to
  providing other services as may from time to time
  be deemed necessary
• Providing internal audit services in the Council
  as a whole.

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Sources of funding of the
Headquarters

• All monies raised for the general purpose of the
  Council from member Governments
• All monies accruing to the Council either by way
  of grants in aid, endowment, donation etc
• Consultancy fees received by the Council
• Interest on investments.

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Functions of the National Office

• Developing syllabuses and tests for its national
  examinations
• Planning, administering and processing of the
  various examinations held in the country
• Ensuring that the decisions of Council and its
  appropriate Committees are implemented in the
  country.

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Sources of Funding for the National Offices

• Examination fees
• Government subvention
• Sale of Publications
• Interest on investments

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Sources of Funding for the National Offices
(Contd.)

• Confirmation and interpretation of results
• Consultancy services
• Conduct of examinations on behalf of foreign
  examining bodies and other organizations.

15
The Committee System of the Council

• One of the greatest strengths of The West African
  Examinations Council is its Committee Structure,
  which provides for several international
  committees as well as strong national committees.
  
• The Committee Structure makes it possible for
  each member country to participate fully at all
  levels in the work of the Council.

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The Committee System of the Council (Contd.)

• With the members of the various committees drawn
  largely from the teaching profession and from
  among educational administrators, the Council may
  be regarded as an authority on educational
  opinion.

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Council

• Referred to as Council. The membership of
  Council is made up of a Chairman elected from
  among eminent citizens of the member countries
• A Vice Chairman elected from among the five (5)
  leaders (or Chief Government Nominees), of the
  national delegations who are usually the Chief
  Professional Officers of the Ministries of
  Education of the member countries

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Council (contd.)

• Other nominees of the Governments and
  representatives of the Universities, Secondary
  Schools and the National Committees.
• Council meets annually in the month of March in
  one of the member countries to review the
  activities of the organization during the year
  and to formulate policies for the succeeding
  year.

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Committees

• Various committees have been established to
  deliberate on and oversee specific aspects of the
  operations of the organization and report to
  Council at its annual meeting.
• These committees may be broadly classified into
  two international and national.

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The International Committees

• Deliberate on matters affecting all member
  countries
• Co-ordinate and harmonise national views in
  determining policies for the Council as a whole.

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The International Committees (Contd.)

• The Steering Committee
• International Administrative and Finance
  Committee
• International Appointments Committee
• International Examinations Committee

• International Final Awards and Examiners
  Appointments Committee
• Research Sub-Committee of the International
  Examinations Committee
• The Board of Trustees of the WAEC Endowment Fund.

22
The National Committees

• Deal with matters relating mainly to their
  respective countries .
• Serve as fora for the articulation of national
  views on issues affecting the policies of the
  Council as a whole.

23
The National Committees (Contd.)

• The National Committee (at the apex)
• Administrative and Finance Committee
• Appointments Committee

• Commercial Examinations Committee
• Aptitude Tests and Examinations Committee
• Tenders Board.

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The National Committees (contd.)

• The number of committees at the national level
  varies from country to country according to need.
  
• In view of the federal political structure of
  Nigeria, there is also a State Committee in each
  State of the Federation including the Federal
  Capital Territory reporting directly to the
  Nigeria National Committee.

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THE COUNCILS PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Test development
• Test administration and processing of results
  and
• Educational research

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Test Development Activities

• The development and revision of examination
  syllabuses.
• The recruitment and training of examiners.
• The development of tests .
• The award of grades for Councils examinations.
• In executing these activities, internationally
  accepted procedures are followed to ensure the
  maintenance of standards.

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Test Administration and Processing of Results

• The preparation of entry schedules.
• Arrangements for oral and practical examinations.
  
• Inspection of centres and distribution of
  examination materials.

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Test Administration and Processing of Results
(Contd.)

• Supervision and invigilation
• Coordination and subject award meetings
• Release of results and
• Printing and issuing of certificates.

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Examinations Conducted by Council

• International Examinations
• National Examinations
• Examinations Conducted On Behalf Of Other
  Examination Boards and Professional Bodies

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International Examinations

• Defined as the examinations that are available to
  candidates in all member countries.
• The Council used to conduct the General
  Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level
  Examination and the Joint Examination for the
  School Certificate and G.C.E. Ordinary Level.

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International Examinations (Contd.)

• As a result of the educational reforms in the
  member countries, the GCE examinations were
  phased out and replaced with The West African
  Senior School Certificate Examination.
• The last GCE Advanced Level Examination was
  conducted in the 2000.
• The Council offers no less than 66 subjects in
  the West African Senior School Certificate
  Examination.

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National Examinations

• Available only to the candidates of the member
  country for which they are developed.
• The National Examinations generally include
  Primary, Basic and Secondary School Certificate
  examinations, selection examinations for
  admission to Training Colleges and Technical
  Institutes, examinations for entry into the
  public services and private organisations,
  aptitude tests, promotion tests and terminal
  examinations in commercial and technical
  institutions.

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National Examinations (Contd.)

• Furthermore, conscious of the need to assist in
  developing a sound education in the sub-region
  and to meet the educational aspirations of member
  countries, the Council has been offering, in its
  Commercial and Technical Examinations, an
  increasing number of subjects adapted to reflect
  more closely the requirements of the sub-region.

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Examinations Conducted On Behalf Of Other
Examination Boards and Professional Bodies

• The Council conducts a variety of examinations,
  mainly professional and technical, on behalf of
  other examining boards notably in the United
  Kingdom and the United States of America.

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Educational Research Activities

• Investigating testing techniques and other
  educational matters
• Evaluating and improving operational methods,
  tests and other services
• Developing aptitude tests,

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Educational Research Activities (Contd.)

• Monitoring the professional activities of the
  Council and assisting in the training of
  examiners.
• Organising Monthly Seminars which are open to
  researchers from the Universities, Colleges of
  Education, Ministries of Education and others
  with educational interests.

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The Role of WAEC in the Development of
Education in Anglophone West Africa

• The attainment of goals and objectives of
  educational programmes depends, to a large
  extent, on the appropriateness of the assessment
  schemes. WAEC therefore ensures that its
  examinations are valid and reliable.

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The Role of WAEC in the Development of
Education in Anglophone West Africa (Contd.)

• Through a carefully worked out committee system
  that has evolved over the years, the Council
  maintains high standards in its examinations. In
  the process, the Council has developed the
  machinery for effective international
  co-operation, especially among teachers and
  educational authorities, and has succeeded in
  bringing educational opinion and experience to
  bear upon the problems of examinations in such a
  way as to ensure that these problems will be
  solved in the way most conducive to the
  development of good education

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The Role of WAEC in the Development of
Education in Anglophone West Africa (Contd.)

• The mandate of WAEC bestows on it a very unique
  role in the provision of educational services in
  West Africa. It makes the Council the
  co-ordinating centre for determining standards in
  education at the pre-tertiary level in
  English-speaking West Africa.

40
WAEC as an Autonomous International Board and
an Agent At the National Level.

• The West African Examinations Council has
  survived many challenges and even threats to its
  existence. Success in this area has been due to
  several reasons.
• Perhaps the most important of these is that the
  Council has structures, local and international,
  which are flexible enough to accommodate the
  varying requirements and changing needs of its
  member countries.
• Its committee system of decision-making is hinged
  on consensus building rather than dogmatism.

41
WAEC as an Autonomous International Board and
an Agent At the National Level. (contd.)

• Another factor has been the Councils uniform
  governing legal instrument the Convention.
• While preserving a high level of independence,
  WAEC endeavours to ensure that the views of
  member countries on any matter are fully
  considered and that the National Committees are
  given the opportunity to debate all relevant
  issues thoroughly, taking into account the
  peculiar circumstances of their countries before
  making recommendations to the International
  Committee.

42
WAEC as an Autonomous International Board and
an Agent At the National Level. (contd.)

• Another factor is that WAEC tries to be a
  watchdog of its own standards. On several
  occasions it has commissioned investigations into
  its own activities with the view to assessing its
  own standards and rectifying lapses, if any.

43
WAEC as an Autonomous International Board and
an Agent At the National Level. (contd.)

• In 1981, the Commonwealth Fund for Technical
  Co-operation (CFTC) funded a project by which the
  International Centre for Education Evaluation
  (ICEE) of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria,
  carried out an evaluation of WAEC standards.
• The study focused on the SC/GCE O and A Level
  examinations to compare the Councils standards
  with those of the London Universitys GCE,
  Cambridge Universitys GCE and the Joint
  Matriculations Board (N) GCE, and to ascertain
  the extent to which the WAEC examinations
  fulfilled the educational aspirations of member
  countries, thus helping in the achievements of
  each nations objectives.

44
WAEC as an Autonomous International Board and
an Agent At the National Level. (contd.)

• WAEC has also made efforts at guiding policy at
  the sub-regional level.
• In September 1988, WAEC organized an
  international conference on Educational
  Development and Policies in Anglophone West
  Africa at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

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WAEC as an Autonomous International Board and
an Agent At the National Level. (contd.)

• Some major outcomes of that conference were
  reforms which led to the adoption of the 6-3-3-4
  system in member countries and the change from
  GCE to the Senior Secondary School Certificate
  Examination.
• In March 1996, the Annual WAEC Endowment Fund
  Lecture was inaugurated and since then the
  lecture is delivered on a theme on education by
  an eminent scholar of the member country hosting
  the Annual Council Meeting.

46
WAEC as an Autonomous International Board and
an Agent At the National Level. (contd.)

• But above all, it is the recognition that the
  Council has built an international reputation
  which no single member country doing it alone can
  rival that has kept the Council going.

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WAEC in Inter-Regional Cooperation

• As the oldest Board in the English speaking
  developing
• world, WAEC was a Model for setting up boards in
• East Africa
• The Caribbean
• Botswana
• Lesotho
• Malaysia
• The South Pacific

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WAEC in Inter-Regional Cooperation

• During its more than fifty years of existence,
  WAEC has not only successfully operated in its
  member countries in West African, but has also
  served as a forum for the exchange of ideas on
  educational assessment in the Commonwealth.
• WAEC is a Primary member of the International
  Association for Educational Assessment (IAEA) and
  the Association for Educational Assessment in
  Africa (AEAA) and played a prominent role in the
  establishment of both organizations.

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CHALLENGES
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(1) Growth in the Number of Candidates

• WAEC has so far examined millions of candidates.
  Starting with a modest figure of 35,000
  candidates throughout West Africa in 1955, the
  entry figure has increased over the years. By
  1980 the total candidate entry had reached the
  one million mark.

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Total Entry Figures by Country
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ICT IN EXAMINATION ACTIVITIES

• The rise in the candidate numbers logically led
  to the development of strategies and systems to
  cope.
• First there was the introduction of scanning
  machines (Optical mark readers) and scannable
  forms for capturing candidates responses. This
  technique was extended to capturing marks on
  examiners mark sheets and school-based
  continuous assessment forms.
• The manual system of keying in candidates
  personal details from entry forms was also
  replaced with scannable forms.

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ICT IN EXAMINATION ACTIVITIES (Contd.)

• In recent times a lot has been invested to
  exploit the many possibilities that ICT offers
  for the enhancement of the quality of our
  services.
• The most significant developments in the last
  three years have been the hosting of examination
  results on the WAEC websites in Nigeria and Ghana
  and the introduction of online registration of
  school and private candidates in both countries.

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(2) Securing the Integrity of WAEC Examinations

• The greatest challenge to WAEC over the years has
  been the malaise of examination malpractice in
  all its many forms.
• There is a strong urge for many candidates,
  supervisors, invigilators, teachers, parents and
  even some school authorities to cheat the system.

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(2) Securing the Integrity of WAEC
Examinations (Contd.)

• Elaborate security measures are put in place at
  all levels of the examination process from the
  commissioning of items for question papers to the
  release of the final authentic examination
  results of each candidate.
• Photographs have to be embossed on certificates
  to prevent impersonation.
• The implication of all this is that the
  examination system is very expensive.

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(3) Training of Examiners

• A competent team of examiners enhances the
  reliability and validity of examinations. It is
  therefore an important policy of WAEC to train
  examiners to enable them construct good items and
  questions and for them to be consistent, accurate
  and reliable markers.
• This is done at both the national and
  international levels where courses are mounted in
  the different aspects of the examiners work.

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(3) Training of Examiners (Contd.)

• In the recent past, however, financial
  constraints had prevented either the Headquarters
  or the National Offices to mount large-scale
  training of examiners in marking or item writing.
  
• In all countries, examiners were being trained on
  the job during the Marking sessions.
• Experienced senior officers, Chief Examiners and
  some Team Leaders serve as the trainers.

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(4) Moderation of Continuous Assessment Scores
(CASS)

• School-based assessment scores have a 30
  weighting in computing the final score of a
  candidate for the WASSCE.
• This is a significant ratio that affords the
  teacher a big say in the candidates final grade.
  Under normal circumstances this should be a
  positive development.

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(4) Moderation of Continuous Assessment Scores
(CASS) (Contd.)

• However, CASS for the WASSCE submitted by schools
  in the four participating countries have not been
  found reliable.
• The reasons for this range from inflated scores
  awarded by teachers to a complete lack of a
  moderation framework at either school or country
  level.
• Most teachers do not receive any form of guidance
  beyond the notes on the CASS forms.

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(4) Moderation of Continuous Assessment Scores
(CASS) (Contd.)

• Consequently, the Council has resorted to the use
  of statistical moderation of CASS.
• This situation is far from ideal and there is an
  urgent need to remedy it.

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COOPERATION WITH IEA AND THE WORLD BANK

• It is in the light of WAECs urgent and medium
  term needs as a regional examining body that
  assistance was sought from the World Bank through
  the IEA.
• The needs have been organized around four(4)
  priority areas of action

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Framework for Cooperation

• Improving validity and reliability of
  school-based assessment (CASS)
• Training of WASSCE Examiners
• Training of WASSCE Item Writers
• Training of Staff in Test Development and
  Research.

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CONCLUSION

• It is our belief that a significant improvement
  in these areas will have a positive impact on the
  quality of WAEC service delivery, which will also
  have the effect of enhancing the standard of
  education in the WAEC member countries.

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THANK YOU