Gabriel Dike
The decision of the management of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to release the May/June 2019 West African Senior School Examinations (WASSCE) results ahead of its scheduled August deadline has doused tension among 1,112, 589million candidates who wrote the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as awaiting result candidates.
The release of the May/June 2019 WASSCE brightened the chances of the candidates awaiting results in the UTME. Initially, the council had fixed the first week of August as the date to announce the results of the school exam.
The management of WAEC doused the tension when on June 30, 2019, it started the marking of answer scripts of 1, 590, 173million candidates and pledged to release the results by early August.
WAEC Head of Public Affairs, Mr. Demianus Ojijeogu, explained how the council achieved the feat. He said the marking took place in 88 marking venues and that hopefully, the council will release the May/June 2019 WASSCE in the first week of August.
“The results of the May/June 2019 WASSCE will be released before the start of admissions exercise.
“The 60 days this current management set aside to release results of exams between when the last paper is written is still in place.” 
WAEC Head of Nigeria National of Office, Mr. Olu Adenipekun, on Friday, July 26, announced the released of the result for the May/June 2019 WASSCE in which 64. 18 per cent obtained five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
Out of the 1, 590, 173million candidates who sat for the school exam, 1,020,519million made credits and above in minimum of five subjects, including English and Mathematics.
The implication of the five credits, including English and Mathematics, brightened the chances of the candidates securing admission for the 2019/2020 academic session. Stakeholders are of the view that the release of the school exam by WAEC, will brighten the chances of the awaiting result candidates in the forthcoming admission exercise in August.
The decision to start admission on August 21 triggered anxiety among the 1, 112, 589 million candidates affected and their case was made worse because as at the time of the meeting, WAEC has not started the marking of answer scripts of 1. 590,173 million candidates that wrote the May/June 2019 WASSCE.
When the Joint Consultative Policy Meeting on Admissions for 2019/2020 met last month in Gbongan, Osun State and decided that the admission exercise would start on August 21, 2019, many candidates were thrown into panic because of their ‘O’ level result.
The anxiety was not far fetched because according to statistics from JAMB 1,112,589 million out of 1.826,835 million candidates that wrote the UTME as awaiting result candidates.
The meeting, which involved the Minister of Education, JAMB officials, National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Commission for Colleges for Education (NCCE), vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and key stakeholders decided that admissions on merit would start from August 21 for both public and private tertiary institutions.
At the meeting, JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede disclosed that 1,112,589 million admission seekers wrote the 2019 UTME as awaiting results candidates.
Oloyede hoped that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) would release the results of the May/June 2019 West African Senior School Examinations (WASSCE) early to enable the affected candidates to participate in the admission exercise by uploading their results to JAMB portal before the start of admission exercise on August 21.
Aside uploading their WAEC results, candidates are expected to present copies of their credentials (WASSCE and NECO), JAMB original result slip and JAMB original online admission letter to university admission officers before they can be screened and registered as students.
UTME awaiting results statistics
Statistics of the 1,112, 589 million awaiting results candidates showed that 261,083 candidates scored 200 and above, 351,720 recorded 190 and above, 473,701 made 180 and above, 619,551 obtained 170 and above, 781,791 scored 160 and above, 937,733 got 150 and above, 1,050,060 secured 140 and above, 1,099,945 obtained 130 and above while 1,112,589 made 120 and above in the 2019 UTME.
2019 Admission timelines
At the policy meeting, Oloyede advised heads of institutions to ensure that admissions periods are sacrosanct and must be followed and adhered to. He said first choice admissions must be done during the period earmarked for first choice and other choices must be processed during the timelines set out for them.
He said the board allowed awaiting result candidates to register and sit for the 2019 UTME, noting that the candidates cannot be considered for admission on awaiting result status, ‘’they must upload their ‘O’ level results on the board’s portal before the commencement of admission exercise. Their ‘O’ level results form a crucial part of their registration requirements.’’
How WAEC brightened doused candidates tension
Before the release of the results for the May/June 2019 WASSCE, some of the candidates expressed concern about when the council would release the results.
Seventeen-year-old Ronke Olabiyi, who scored 261 in the UTME, explained that she had visited WAEC Office at Ogba, Lagos, to make enquiry about the result and confirmed that it would be released before admission starts on August 21.
‘’I and my colleagues are on the same WhatsApp platform. The question of when WAEC will release the results of the May/June 2019 WASSCE has dominated our discussions in the last five weeks. We are anxious about our WASSCE results because many of us scored above 250 in the UTME.’’
Obi Ifeoma of Rising Sun High School, Egbe, Lagos, stressed: ‘’I was anxious that WAEC had not released the May/June 2019 WASSCE results. When universities start admissions, candidates with awaiting result will be psychologically affected thus leading to an increase in suicide rate.
‘’I am aware that candidates must upload their WASSCE results to JAMB portal before the start of the admission exercise for a candidate to be considered for admission. I expect that WAEC will release the May/June 2019 WASSCE results before August 21 to reduce the anxiety by candidates who wrote the school examination and UTME.’’
Njemanze Tochukwu of Radiance High School, Festac, Lagos, who scored 293 in the UTME, had initially stated that he was not worried and that the most important thing is for him to gain admission.
Njemanze, who wants to study Law at Godfrey Okoye University, Ugwuomu-Nike, Enugu State, had explained that the delay was not the fault of SS111 students: “The universities will accommodate us when WAEC finally releases the result. I hope to do well in the
May/June 2019, my target is As.’’
His colleague, Dada Oluwatobi of RHS, equally stressed that he was not worried about the delay: ‘’I know WAEC will certainly release the result. I want to study Accounting at the University of Lagos: ‘’I am hopeful that WAEC will eventually release the May/June 2019 WASSCE results. I expect to do well and gain admission with 292 in UTME.’’
Another awaiting result candidate, a former student of Dynamic Landmark College, Egbe, Kalu-Oge Chioma, who scored 203 in UTME and want to study Library and Information Science had expressed worry because University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) will not offer her admission if she does not uploaded her WASSCE result before the start of the admission exercise.
She gave reason she couldn’t upload her result, ‘’I sat for the May/June 2019 school candidate exam’’. Kalu-Oge appealed to WAEC to release the result before the start of admission, noting, ‘’I am aware that the universities will start admission in August.’’
With 220 in UTME, Okwechime Elizabeth, formerly of Clemmy High School, Agodo, Lagos, who wants to study Business Administration, had also revealed that she did not upload WAEC results because she took UTME as awaiting result candidate and pleaded with WAEC to release the result early.
She confirmed being aware that admission would start on August 21 and also expressed worry about the non-release of the WASSCE result, adding, ‘’JAMB and the universities have concluded plans for the 2019/2020 admission exercise.’’
Reactions of stakeholders
Earlier, the proprietor of Royal Academy, Ibadan, Oyo State, Chief Laide Oluwaseun, had insisted that the awaiting result candidates cannot be ignored by JAMB and the universities. He argued that the board and managers of tertiary institutions must find a way to accommodate them if the results are released late after the start of admission.
He observed that some universities have announced dates for post UTME and hoped that they have the awaiting result candidates in mind: “Many of them recorded high scores in the UTME and should not be denied admission for no fault of theirs. No wonder some of them are anxious about the result.’’
Mrs. Bola Jubril, whose son scored 244 in the 2019 UTME, disclosed that she had been monitoring WAEC and that government should ensure that SS111 graduates are accommodated in the admission exercise. She explained that her son had continuously been on the look out for when WAEC would release the May/June 2019 WASSCE results: ‘’I hope WAEC will release the results to enable the SS111 graduates to use it for admission.’’
Already, some institutions have advertised for the post-UTME and fixed dates for screening. Some private universities have started to admit students, thus heightening the anxiety of the 1,112,589 million candidates on awaiting results.