The President of Muslim Right Concern again rejects the adjusted WAEC timetable saying the Jumaat time should be free.
Following the readjustment of the May/June 2018 exam timetable to accommodate Muslims’ interest, the leader of Muslim Right Concern, Prof Ishaq Akintola has again rejected the adjustment in the timetable.
Akintola said he would only be satisfied if the Islamic Jumaat prayer time is kept free throughout the examination.
The 2018 May/June Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) timetable recently released by WAEC stated that candidates would write Chemistry paper from 2 pm to 5 pm on Friday, April 20, while Muslims’ Friday prayer usually holds between 1 pm and 3 pm.
Pulse reported how Prof Akintola criticised the exam timetable saying WAEC is an oppressor because it does not want Muslim candidates to worship their God as stated in the constitution.
The criticism prompted WAEC to adjust the timetable by delaying the exam until 2:30 pm or 3 pm when the Muslims will return from the mosque”.
However, the Islamic group president has rejected the adjustment in a statement released on Monday, March 19, 2018.
The statement reads in part
“We demand a WAEC timetable that leaves the 12–3 pm window which Muslims need for Jumat service untouched. An ideal examination timetable for Friday will, therefore, be 9:00 am to 12:00 noon and 3:30 – 6:00 pm. In fact, heaven will not fall if examinations are limited to morning period on Fridays.
“WAEC appears confused because there are three other clashes on the ‘amended’ timetable which WAEC did not address at all,” the statement said. “Social Studies (Objective) is slated for 1:00 – 1:50 pm on Friday 4th May 2018 while Electronics (Objective) is also billed to take place between 1:00 and 3:00 pm on Friday 11th May 2018. Woodwork is equally scheduled for the same day from 12:00 – 3:00 pm. So how do we reconcile all these? WAEC is out to slay Muslim candidates.”
Reacting to the group’s accusations, the Director of Public Affairs, WAEC Nigeria, Demianus Ojijeogu told Premium Times that the exam body amended the time for the Chemistry paper, because it is a major course, adding that ”only a few or none of the candidates offers these other courses in contention”
“The candidature is very small, where you have two or three people writing these papers. Social study is not meant for Nigerian candidates, as it is only done at the junior secondary school in Nigeria, it is meant for candidates in Ghana,” he said.
The 2018 May/June Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination is scheduled to start on March 27 and end on May 15, 2018.
Source: Pulse.ng
