*like Nigeria is not hard enough..lol* Waec introduces 39 New Subjects

The West African Examinations Council
has announced the introduction of 39
new subjects in its examinations.

The Council’s Acting Head, Test
Development Division, Mrs. Olayinka
Ajibade, who announced this, said the
new subjects would commence in this
year’s May/June West African Senior
School Certificate Examination.
Ajibade said this while delivering a paper
titled “The New Senior Secondary
Education Curriculum in Nigeria:
Implications for Assessment” at the
council’s monthly seminar in Lagos on
Friday.

The fresh initiative, she said, was in
accordance with the Nigerian Education
Research and Development Council’s
new secondary school curriculum.
The NERDC is the body responsible for
reviewing primary and secondary
schools’ curricula in the country.
She said, “The implementation of the
new SSCE curricula began in September
2011, meaning that the maiden public
examinations based on the new/ revised
curricula are expected to be held in
May/ June 2014.
“Each WASSCE syllabus is derived from
the senior secondary education
curriculum. In addition to the 39 new
subjects for which NERDC engaged in
curriculum development, curriculum
review was also carried out for 35
existing subjects.”
In the new curriculum, four new
subjects- Computer Studies, Insurance,
Store Management and Office Practice-
are in the electives category, while the
remaining 35 subjects are in the Trades
category.

Among subjects in the trade category
are Painting and Decorating,
Photography, Salesmanship, Plumbing
and Pipe Fitting, and Upholstery.
Ajibade added that under the fresh
directive, students would be required to
take four core subjects, comprising
English Language, General Mathematics,
Civic Education and Trade/
Entrepreneurial Studies.
The candidates, she added, would be
required to choose three or four
subjects from Humanities, Science,
Technology and Business Studies
depending on their potential and
interest.
Ajibade, while unveiling this, noted
however that the new directive would
face some challenges.
She identified inadequate teachers,
appalling state of facilities in schools and
large class size as some of the
challenges that would likely beset the
initiative.