Brief – Secondary schoolchildren are in the process of completing the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) in the Dikwa and Damboa local government areas of Borno State for the first time since 2013 when the formal tests were suspended because of attacks by members of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), better known as Boko Haram.

Residents fled to Maiduguri, the state’s capital, and to other local government areas to escape the insurgents. After their displacement, secondary school pupils were only able to write the WAEC exams in Maiduguri.

Many of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have now resettled and the pupils are now writing the exams in their local government areas for the first time in 10 years. The examinations started on May 8 and will end on June 23. The examination ensures a qualitative and widely accepted certificate for pupils in the final year of secondary school.

Many pupils had to travel a long way to write the exams. The local government authorities and security personnel have put measures in place to ensure the safety of the pupils and the WAEC staff.

AISHA SD JAMAL