The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) said on Sunday that it would soon approve new allowances it pays to examiners toward fulfilment of the council’s mandate. The council’s Head of National Office (HNO), Dr Charles Eguridu, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. Eguridu spoke against the backdrop of claims by some examiners that the council was not paying them allowances that were commensurate with the volume of work they did.
“We at WAEC laud our examiners for their commitment, sacrifice, support and contribution to the overall work of the council.
“The work they actually do is of high value to us and they are one of our critical stakeholders.
“One cannot really say that their complaints are misplaced.
“ We appreciate their contributions a lot and wish that we have all the monies to express this appreciation in the much they deserve.“But the fees we charge are highly subsidised by government.
“Our fee is not an economic one and to that extent, we are limited in terms of resources at our disposal, to pay examiners. “I, however, assure them that we are already looking into their complaints with a view to increasing their allowances in the soonest,’’ Eguridu said.
He said the council would continue to take necessary actions to the benefit of all its stakeholders. One of the examiners who preferred not to be mentioned told NAN that there was the need for WAEC to review its welfare package to all of its ad hoc staff.
He said that it was risky for WAEC to lose the services of examiners because of poor allowances. “The allowances we get are not encouraging and are not commensurate with the job we do for the council,’’ he said.
Another examiner, who also did not want to be mentioned, told NAN that other examination bodies in the country paid better allowances than WAEC. “The stress associated with the logistics of examination materials involves much risk and it is painstaking. “We spend so much on transportation during the marking exercise and at the end of the day, you discover that it is not worth the trouble. “I have been marking for the council for the past eight years and I can tell you that the allowances are poor. “It is time WAEC looked inwards to do the right thing in order to get better results from us,’’ he added. (NAN)
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