Education has in recent times been arguably regarded as one of the greatest investments anyone could lay his hands on. It’s so, because it is an area of life that breeds the mindset towards attaining a remarkable level.

The aforementioned perception could be the reason discerning individuals and families do not hesitate to sacrifice virtually their entire treasure in their tireless and endless quest for sound education upon their wards.

Nigeria’s education sector cannot be holistically discussed by any thinker or group without mentioning the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), which has over the decades been a household name in the sector.

Owing to the above fact, most times in the contemporary Nigerian society alongside other West African countries, rather than mention the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), which encompasses the various forms of examining bodies, people find it easier to say ‘WAEC’ while discussing external examinations even when they actually mean the umbrella acronym – SSCE.

This signifies that the overwhelming popularity of WAEC has made it possible for the body to relatively overshadow the relevance of the other existing examining bodies in Nigeria such as the National Examinations Council (NECO) and National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), among others that equally speak volumes in the country’s education sector.

Hence, no one seems to take any issue pertaining to WAEC for granted, especially when it concerns the overall interest of the concerned public. It suffices to say that whenever the revered exam board comes up with any proposed innovation, people don’t delay in cross-examining the real content and service value of the impending initiative.

It is on this premise that the recent avowal made by the WAEC instantly triggered mixed feelings among the teeming Nigerians and beyond. Nigeria’s section of the Council disclosed, three years back, its unflinching intention to, henceforth, start issuing candidates’ certificates via electronic mode otherwise known as e-mode.

According to the statement, which was tendered precisely on 13th December 2018, through the intended e-mode, the concerned candidates would have the access to apply as well as receive their certificates via an online portal.

It further informed that the proposed method became imperative as a result of the backlog of certificates currently available in their quarters domiciled in the country. The notice indicated that there were thousands of printed certificates, involving numerous years, yet to be collected by the supposed owners. The e-mode pattern, therefore, would ensure that certificates are only prepared upon request of any affected candidate.

Acknowledging that the human society at large is now conspicuously tech-driven, it’s preposterous to assert that the e-mode is a laudable concept that ought to have been born long ago. This implies that the emergence of such an idea is long overdue.

Over the years, prospective candidates of the WAEC have been registering for their intended exams via the online platform, having noted by the council that this is the fastest and easiest way to seamlessly apply for such tests of knowledge compared to the manual system that was previously in vogue.

And the online application has hitherto recorded tremendous success, if not a few technical hitches that have overtime posed a threat to the exercise. Aside from the electronic application towards sitting for either the May/June or November/December batch of the WAEC’s exams, the Statement of Results of the test can equally be accessed through online.

The target beneficiaries have reportedly been enjoying this systematic approach as some would say that the initiative, since inception, has made it possible for them to get closer to the WAEC irrespective of their respective localities or places of residence.

As at the time the WAEC thought it wise to inculcate another initiative into the existing e-mode of application cum receipt of documents, I informed the management of the body the need to comprehend the rudiments of the e-mode exercise with a view to ensuring that all needed parameters are duly considered toward averting possible hitches when fully implemented.

I therefore stated that the e-site must be a well tested and trusted one devout of any form of barrier as regards online activity. Thus, the portal ought to be foolproof that it wouldn’t give room for any operational anomaly regardless of the circumstance.

Any software to be deployed in the process should be of standard cum latest version and ought to be regularly managed by the personnel with the requisite skills who must be staff of the Council. In addition, a special unit that must be willing to work round the clock was expected to be established to handle the A-Z operations and intrigues of the exercise.

Inter alia, world-class anti-hacking softwares were meant to be utilized and maintained as the journey progresses to ensure that internet hackers do not hijack, or have access to, the portal at any time. The WAEC needs to take into cognizance that creating any lapse that could warrant the site to be hacked by any cyber criminal would definitely jeopardize the lofty motive of the body.

Against this backdrop, I mentioned that the Council was required to boast of well-experienced anti-hacking professionals in the proposed special unit. Hence, some of the personnel in the unit must, from time to time, undergo in-house workshops and training on ethical hacking terminology towards updating their expertise. So, a reliable entity should be contracted or engaged in respect of this measure.

One of the major good news concerning the e-mode pattern is that, if duly implemented, people can from anywhere across the global community apply for and have access to their WAEC certificates without involving themselves in any rigorous processes and what have you, thereby averting any kind of stress or inconvenience.

In view of this, the body needed to ensure that the target beneficiaries don’t spend longer than anticipated while assessing the e-mode site from any locality. It suffices to say that the target beneficiaries need to enjoy the services they paid for.

Also, efforts were meant to be intensified to ensure that the initiative becomes cost effective so that it won’t end up constituting further financial nuisance to the prospective certificates’ bearers, or the council in particular.

Thus, the e-application card is expected to be affordable by all concerned.  The site was required to be easily assessed or uploaded to avoid exhausting hundreds of Gigabytes (GB) of data in the process.

As the WAEC was apparently determined to decongest the ‘traffic’ usually constituted by pile-up of printed certificates by introducing an e-mode, it must equally be genuinely ready to guarantee its labour and cost effectiveness so that it wouldn’t in the long run be seen as a menace by the supposed beneficiaries.

It’s noteworthy that the e-mode certificate, which was eventually implemented, cannot be printed but can only be delivered to the candidate via any WAEC office nationwide upon request.

It’s equally advisable for other examination bodies to follow suit, so people can assess their certificates with ease without involving any tangible physical effort.

It’s an aberration to notice that in this digital age, many institutions or entities still rely on archaic modes of services to the detriment of their clients or consumers.