Final year (Exit) Secondary School students in Enugu State, on Monday, joined their counterparts in the West African region to commence the Senior School Certificate Examination, (SSCE), conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC),
observing the COVID-19 protocols of wearing of facemasks, physical distance and hand washing.
The students, who expressed joy that the examination had commenced, however frowned that it started with Mathematics.
At Queens School, Enugu, the Principal, Mrs Ada Nweke, expressed worry that the first paper to be written was Mathematics.
“Mathematics should have been one of the last papers to be written so that the students would have gotten much confidence before then,” she pointed out.
The Principal said that the school did its best to prepare the students within the two weeks revision window.
She added that the school introduced both morning and evening revision sessions per day.
The Senior Prefect, Queens School, Miss Favour Gozie-Mba, said that it was scary going into the examination hall to take Mathematics as the first paper.
She described the first paper as good but tough. “We struggled to remember some of the things we read and were taught”.
At the Federal Government College (FGC), Independence Layout, Enugu, the Principal, Mr Ejeh Usman, said that about 506 students were participating in the examination.
Usman said that the school had infrared thermometers to check the temperature of the students before entering the examination hall.
He said that hand-wash facilities and sanitisers were positioned at strategic locations within the school environment.
The principal added that the school did its best to prepare the students for the examination inspite the outbreak of the COVID-19 that altered the school calendar.
He said: “During the four months that the students stayed at home, we organised online classes to prepare them for this examination. We also had marathon revision classes in the last two weeks. So, they will not be much affected.”
At Day Secondary School, Independence Layout, the Principal, Mrs Maria Nnanwike-Nwodo, said that she had high hopes that the students would do well in spite of the prevailing situation.
“Our students approached this examination with high hopes because that is what they had expected. We prepared them well for this,” she said.
Nnanwike-Nwodo said that the observance of two meters physical distance would not affect the outcome of the examination, adding that such would help to checkmate examination malpractice.
“The spacing you observed has given the students self confidence and will help to deal with malpractice,” Nnanwike-Nwodo said.
