By Emmanuel Edukugho
WEST African Examination Council, WAEC, last Thursday, released results of the May/June 2010 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASCE, with only 337,071 candidates, representing 24.94 per cent, obtaining credits in English Language, Mathematics and at least three other subjects which are the requirements for admission into tertiary institutions.

Also, 98 blind candidates sat for the examination, while 13 of them, representing 13.27 per cent obtained credits in five subjects, including English Language. Blind candidates are exempted from taking Mathematics and Science practicals in WASCE diets.

A total of 1,351,557 candidates, consisting of 739,664 male and 611,893 female candidates sat for the examination, while the results of 77,168 candidates, or 5.71 per cent, were being withheld for alleged examination malpractice.

Head of the Nigeria National office of WAEC, Dr. Iyi Uwadiae, who announced the results, said of the overall total number of candidates, 1,278,843, representing 94.62 per cent had their results fully processed, while 72,714 candidates, representing 5.38 per cent had few of their subjects still being processed, as various errors and omissions mostly traceable to them were being sorted out by the Council.

He said these errors were committed during the online registration and the actual conduct of the examination.

Uwadiae said results of 77,168 candidates representing 5.71 per cent were being withheld, based on various reports of their alleged involvement in examination malpractice.

He said statistics revealed that 1,058,806 candidates representing 78.33 per cent had two credits and above; 936,470 candidates or 68.84 per cent, have three credits and above; while 806,583 candidates, or 59.67 per cent, had four credits and above.

Furthermore, 677,007 candidates, or 50.09 per cent, obtained five credits and above, while 534,841 candidates representing 39.57 per cent obtained six credits and above.

Uwadiae added that 451,187 or 33.38 per cent, of the candidates obtained credit and above in English language, while 560,974 or 41.50 per cent, of the candidates obtained credit and above in Mathematics.

He said reports on cases of involvement in examination malpractice had been compiled for presentation to the Nigeria Examination Committee of the Council in November 2010, stressing that the committee’s decisions on the various cases would be communicated to the affected schools and candidates through WAEC’s zonal and branch offices.