History of West African Examination Council(WAEC)
Most people probably do not know who Dr. George Barker Jeffery was. He was a prominent early-20th century mathematical physicist, having done research in the field of mathematics since his early twenties. Those who have studied the Theory of Relativity might recognize his name because Dr. Jeffery is also famous for having translated groundbreaking essays on the Theory of Relativity. He was the initial translator of the works of Albert Einstein and Hendrick A. Lorentz, among other physicists. In addition, Dr. Jeffery was a member of the Royal Society. He contributed much to the world of education, but surprisingly, research and translating scientific papers were not Dr. Jeffery’s only contributions to the world of education.
In 1949, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies invited Dr. Jeffery, who was then serving as director of the Institute of Education at the University of London, to visit the West African nations of The Gold Coast (now, Ghana), Nigeria, The Gambia, and Sierra Leone. The goal of his visit, as instructed by the Secretary, was to help the leaders of these nations develop a standardized examination system that would better fit the educational needs of these countries.
Dr. Jeffery finished visiting the West African nations in 1950, and not long after that was when he constructed his proposal for this new standardized system. In “The Jeffery Report,” the blueprints for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) were laid out. It provided the framework for how the Council would operate in each country. The governments of West Africa fully supported the Jeffery Report, and every one of Dr. Jeffery’s recommendations were enacted. By 1951, the Gold Coast became the first nation to pass the WAEC ordinance. The governments of Nigeria, The Gambia, and Sierra Leone all signed their own ordinances not long after. Dr. Jeffery attended the first meeting of the Council in 1953, where the Committees of the Council were established. Dr. Jeffery would live for another four more years before passing away at the age of 65. He died 17 years before Liberia joined, in 1974.
Today, WAEC holds a great deal of significance with regards to West African primary and secondary education. It has outlasted the General Certificate of Education Ordinary and Advanced levels (O and A Level) systems in Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leonne. Although each country also offers technical, vocational, and teaching credentials at the end of secondary education, WAEC provides the examinations that are necessary to apply to colleges and universities both at home and abroad.
Since its inception, WAEC has been responsible for the conduct of most of the national and international examinations at the pre-tertiary levels in Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. The national examinations are restricted to candidates of the specific country for which they are developed and they reflect local policies, needs and aspirations. The international examinations, on the other hand, are meant for candidates in all the member countries in the context of regional co-operation.
Source: Wikipedia.com
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