Public school students lag on computers as WAEC expands CBT

As the West African Examinations Council promotes computer-based testing to curb exam malpractice, many public-school students face a practical barrier: limited access to computers and little regular practice.

WAEC says CBT, together with question serialisation and stronger monitoring, is the most effective way to reduce cheating, including the activities of miracle centres. Recent results show a lower proportion of papers withheld for malpractice, which the council links to these measures.

The challenge is uneven preparation. Large numbers of public secondary schools, especially in rural and low-income areas, still lack enough working computers, reliable power and dedicated labs. Many candidates only meet the CBT format shortly before the exam.

JAMB has run its entrance examination fully as a computer-based test for years. That experience shows the format can work at national scale, yet the same students often depend on commercial centres or rushed practice sessions because their schools cannot provide consistent access. WAEC’s wider use of CBT now brings the same technology into the certificate examination that almost every secondary-school student must take, making the facility and skills gap more consequential.

Teachers report difficulty organising meaningful practice with shared or outdated machines. Students who know their subjects on paper remain anxious about the on-screen environment. Parents who cannot afford extra computer lessons worry their children will be disadvantaged compared with peers from better-equipped schools.

WAEC has expanded the number of schools taking the computer-based WASSCE and maintains that a cleaner examination system is worth the transition. For candidates in under-resourced public schools, however, the immediate concern is whether they will have a fair chance to show what they know as the country moves further toward technology-based assessment.