Welcoming WAEC’s resit policy

WAEC’s introduction of resit examinations for candidates who have deficiencies in one of their core subjects is the most gladdening news I have read this year. Prior to this development, I knew quite a number of friends, acquaintances and relatives who had to wait for a year or two just to retake their examinations because of their underperformance, or more appropriately, weaknesses in a subject.

Upon reading the news this morning on Daily Trust’s front page, the first thing that came to my mind was the story of someone whom I’m very closely affiliated with. It’s a very emotional one, so I won’t disclose the person’s identity or gender. Like many of us who are ambitious in life, this person also had dreams. Unlike others, they couldn’t scale through their WAEC exams as they got a deficiency in one of their core subjects.

This isn’t something uncommon; failure is part of growth. It doesn’t diminish the person’s academic status, nor does it mean they aren’t brilliant. In fact, even the brightest minds encounter such setbacks along the way. Nobody is immune to failure.

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Sadly, the person’s parents refuse to see beyond their child’s underperformance in a mere subject. The child was condemned for such a preventable weakness and treated condescendingly, which signifies a lack of empathy from their end.

Instead of providing emotional support by encouraging them to resit for the exams, they resorted to unfair criticism.

Utterly displeased with the performance, an ill-timed decision was enforced on them by their parents. Out of respect for their parents, the person chose to obey. That marked the beginning of the termination of their dreams. This happened late last year.

How I wish the parents had been patient enough to allow their child to resit for that one subject this year, following WAEC’s recently declared resit policy.

Usama Abdullahi is an undergraduate engineering student at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He can be reached via: [email protected]