WAEC Examination Malpractice: Defaulters to face 5-year Jail term or N200, 000 fine

Any student involved in examination malpractice during the senior school certificate examination may spend 5years in jail or pay a fine of N200,000, the federal government said on Wednesday.

The federal government took the decision at the weekly meeting of the Executive Council of the Federation, FEC, after it approved an amendment to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Act.

While briefing journalists after the FEC meeting, the Minister of Education, Ruqayyat Rufai, said the approval is to give effect to the revised convention of WAEC, 2003 in Nigeria.

The Education Minister had tabled a memo before the Council seeking approval for the enactment of an Act to amend the WAEC Act, CAP W4, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004 to give effect to the revised convention of WAEC, 2003 in Nigeria.

The 2004 Act, which is to be amended, empowers the examination body to take disciplinary action and impose penalties against those involved in examination malpractices.

Section 19(1) of the Act states that “such candidate shall not take or be allowed to take or continue the examination, in addition, he shall be prohibited from taking any examination held or conducted by or on behalf of the Council for a period of two years immediately following upon such contraventions and if a candidate aforesaid has already taken any papers at the examination, his result there from shall be cancelled.”

A candidate found guilty after prosecution is “liable on conviction to a fine of N2,000 or imprisonment for a term of five years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”

Section 20 (2) reads: “the penalties contained in this sub-section (a) may be imposed whether or not a prosecution for an offence under section 20 or 21 of this Act has been brought or is being conducted or contemplated and (b) shall be in addition to such other penalties as a court may impose upon conviction for an offence under the aforesaid section 20 or 21.”

WAEC was established in 1952 following the acceptance of the Jeffery Report by the then colonial governments in Gold Coast (Ghana), Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia. Liberia later joined in 1974.

The FEC further directed the Ministry of Justice to take further necessary action on the subject.