About 701 students in Kaduna State, have allegedly been denied the opportunity of sitting for the ongoing 2022 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC) after paying the sum of N12.61million WAEC fees.

It was gathered that the 701 students, who are from nine secondary schools across the state, five government schools and four private schools, could not upload their Continuous Assessment (CASS) on the West African Examination Council portal and the portal was shut down by the examination body at the end of the deadline.

Although WAEC called some of the affected schools attention to the failed uploading on April 1, 2022, giving them ample time to rectify the anomaly all entreaties to the WAEC Zonal Coordinator for North West, Mr Audu Paiku to reopen the portal for them to upload the CASS that was rejected.

The affected schools include Government Secondary School, Kuse (all 290 final year students), Government Secondary school, Independance Way Kaduna (all 150 final year students), Government Secondary school, Kangarko (110 students), Government senior Secondary school, Iddah (100 students).  Others are AL-Bahmeen Academy, Kaduna (8 final year students), Kalhyatu Abdulrahman Bin Auf Academy, Jere (15 students), Great Panaf schools, Kaduna (13 out of 62 students), ECWA Secondary school, Kubacha (10 students) and Government Secondary school, Mato (5 students).

When journalists met the North West WAEC Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Audu Paiku to know if he was aware of the challenge, if he did refused to reopen the WAEC portal to allow the 701 students rectify the failed uploading and why he did so, he referred them to the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, noting that all the required information were with the ministry.

The Kaduna State Ministry of Education had in a letter written to WAEC National Office through WAEC Zonal office in Kaduna on the issue.  The letter dated April 12th 2022, a copy of which was obtained by journalists, was signed by the overseas of the Kaduna State School Quality Assurance Authority, Aliyu Idris requesting WAEC reopen its portal to allow the 701 students upload their CASS but the examination body refused.

The Government Girls Secondary school Independence Way, Kaduna Great Panaf schools,Kaduna and AL-Bahmeen Academy, Kaduna, while confirming the incident, said they did all they could for their students to join their colleagues in sitting for their final examination but the Zonal Coordinator of the WAEC allegedly rejected all entreaties.