How to process collection of original WAEC Certificate | EduCeleb
Abdussalam Amoo
6th November 2017
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is known for conducting Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) at various times of the year. It issues certificates that are recognised both locally and internationally for academic and career advancements from those who schooled in Nigeria and other West African nations. In this post, you would learn how to process the collection of your own certificate.
WAEC now imposes penalties on candidates who fail to process the collection of their certificates within a year after it had been released. There are still results of candidates who wrote the examination as far back as 1960 in their office, according to examination body. People only turn up to collect theirs when they are in dire need of it.
I recall last week Thursday running into a lady who wrote the November/December 1995 WASSCE diet but was facing some challenge obtaining her certificate. She was disturbed that it was only that that was going to delay the processing of her visa into Spain where a university had admitted her for a Master’s Degree programme.
According to her, she never saw the need to collect the certificate all along. Her undergraduate university never requested that of her. She never needed to present it anywhere until the Spanish embassy in Nigeria required her to present it.
Her plan to just ‘quickly’ collect that certificate that day at the WAEC National Office in Lagos failed since she wasn’t prepared for what she witnessed then. She was asked to pay some money in order to get the certificate.
When WAEC announced that it would start charging candidates who default in collecting their certificates on time back in 2013, it stated thus:
“Most of these certificates have been lying fallow in our various offices with no one coming forward to collect them, and we have been keeping them safely for years now.
We have also noticed that candidates come in trickles for them, only when they have absolute need for them.”
WAEC spokesman, Demianus Ojijeogu also wondered why anyone who wrote the exam would take long to collect their certificates.
In his words, “I don’t know the reason why people will sit for exams and their certificates are ready yet they will not come for collection. What was the essence of the certificate in the first place?’’
Perhaps, you have been thinking you don’t need the WAEC certificate at the moment. You never can tell when you would have to use it urgently, as it was the case of the lady I talked about above. The certificates are usually ready for collection in less than a year after one had written each exam.
Depending on which exam organised by WAEC you wrote, you can always process the collection of your original WAEC Certificate.
WASSCE is written in May/June for school candidates, and November/December for private candidates. WAEC recently introduced an additional January/February diet also for private candidates and it commences from 2018.
Before a year elapses after you wrote the WASSCE, you can always get your certificate from the school you registered to write the examination.
WAEC would have printed and dispatched the certificates to schools for collection by candidates. Go to the school to get yours now.
Private candidates can get their certificates from WAEC directly. If you are one, yours could be collected at any of the WAEC offices nationwide. Visit the one near you to find out how to go about it.
You would be required to present an application letter, a sworn affidavit from the High Court, the online result print-out, one passport-size photograph, photo card and identity card.
You’ve read of my encounter with a lady who needed her certificate urgently earlier. She had to pay some money as penalty for keeping the certificate so long with WAEC.
The examining body charges each candidate what it calls ‘custody fee’ and its rate varies depending on how long your certificate was kept in WAEC’s care. The said fee payable depending on how long your certificates were issued.
Each time you delay the processing and collection of your certificate, the amount of money you’d pay increases. So, the earlier you go and get your WAEC certificate, the better.
The various monetary penalties are listed below.
After retrieving your certificate, ensure you keep it safely. Insects and rodents are known for destroying such. Keep it away from where they are likely to mutilate it. Don’t laminate your certificate! I wish you all the best in whatever possible ways the certificate is to be used.