C’River Institutes Leads the Way: Trains Examination Officers for WAEC’s Digital Transition from Paper & Pencil to CBT
As the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) prepares to transition from manual paper-and-pencil exams to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) model, the Teachers Continuous Training Institute (TCTI) in Biase, Cross River State, has successfully completed a 2-day intensive training workshop for examination officers in the state.
The CBT literacy exercise, held from February 26-27, 2025, equipped 150 examination administrators from the three senatorial districts of the state. The training aims to equip officials with essential information, modalities and strategies to facilitate a seamless transition from the traditional pattern to CBT, in line with WAEC’s planned migration.
As part of the intensive training, students from the TCTI’s demonstration secondary school’s secondary section participated in a marathon mock test, enabling both examination officers and pupils to practice, familiarize themselves to perfect their skills.
In his opening remarks, Director-General of TCTI, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, asserted that the primary objective of the exercise was to equip examination officers with comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience in utilizing CBT systems, ensuring they are well-prepared and up-to-date with the latest technologies and templates.
Professor Adedoja, a renowned educator, praised WAEC for its forward-thinking decision to become a digital platform. He noted that this development has inspired the TCTI to conduct a mock examination to assess the readiness of Nigerian schools for the impending migration.
“Cross River State is spearheading a transformative initiative that will benefit not only the state but the nation as a whole. The state government is committed to thoroughly preparing its students and officials for the task ahead, ultimately elevating the quality of education.
“Let me commend the visioner of the Institute, as well as our current governor, Senator Bassey Otu, who has carried the torch forward. The governor’s commitment to providing teachers with a supportive environment to learn and teach has been instrumental in driving this vision. This Institute is one of the best in terms of computer literacy training in Africa”, Adedoja noted.
Echoing the importance of the training, Professor Onyeka Iwuchukwu, a resource person from the National Open University of Nigeria, said the robust data management capabilities of CBT systems enable exam officers to effortlessly track and analyze performance metrics in real-time, providing valuable insights into candidate’s performance. Professor Iwuchukwu stressed the need for continuing training and support mechanisms to ensure examination officers are proficient and comfortable with the system. This includes understanding basic troubleshooting procedures and effectively managing the testing environment. The TCTI, Biase has successfully achieved this feat.
Dr. Stephen Egidi, another resource person from Klinnicaps Academy in Yala LGA, reinforced the significance of CBT testing mode for examination officers, leveraging the TCTI’s state-of-the-art technology to enhance efficiency, accuracy and security. Dr Egidi illustrated the benefits of such trainings, which enables faster administration and grading of examination output, substantially reducing the time and effort required by both exam officers and applicants.
Stakeholders, trainees and resource persons widely praised the Cross River State government and the TCTI management team for creating an enabling environment. This includes providing high-tech computers and internet facilities, thereby enhancing learning.
Trainees specifically applauded the accuracy of CBT, which minimizes human error in grading and processing. According to most of them, the transformative potential of CBT is modernizing examination process, making it more efficient, secure and fair for all stakeholders involved.
