Registrar West African Examination Council, WAEC, Dr Iyi Uwadiae, says the certificate issued by the examination body is valid for life.

Uwadiae, who stated this in Lagos said that examination conducted by WAEC “is an achievement test’’ which remains valid forever.

He spoke against the backdrop of recent moves to increase the validity period of the Unified Test and Matriculation Examination (UTME) result, conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), from one to three years.

“WAEC is an achievement test. So, ours is to say at this level, like in Nigeria, we are for senior secondary.

“So at this secondary level, our result is saying that you have achieved this.

“It means you have gone through educational system for this period of years and you have achieved this.

“Therefore, you are qualified to move to the next stage, that is tertiary institution.

“Or you can go and work; a job that requires academic achievement for that level. That is what ours is saying.

“So, a look at our achievement test, which we conduct, and saying that you have at secondary school level, you have achieved this and you can go to that.

“Ours is to say you have achieved and you have achieved, so it is valid for life.”

In the case of UTME, the WAEC registrar said it was a “selection test’’ which, he noted, was for one situation.

“There are various variables that are looked into to say these people are selected for a particular examination for a particular academic year.

“So, we may say that that examination will be valid for only that because it is specific to a particular year for a particular exam and for a particular purpose.

“So you can say that what is valid here may not be valid for the other one (examination), so for one year, yes because it is a selection text.

“In selection test, you compete and you go; so, to say okay you have done it this year, this result is valid next year, no; the situations; the variables, they are not the same.

“So, as an educationist, I will say that one is difficult. But it is left for the exam body (JAMB) to explain.

“They are the one to say whether their results will be valid for ten year, five year, three years, I cannot say much on that but I know it is a selection text and selection test is for one situation.”

He, however, said that employers of labour or higher institutions, to which the holder of West Africa Senior Secondary Examination Certificate is seeking employment or admission, could subject such candidate to ability test to confirm his or her suitability.

NAN