Hundreds of secondary school students from about 20 government-owned schools in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, thronged the GSSS Maitama on Sunday, October 24, for the 2021 edition of the Career Mentorship Programme (CMP) organised by the National Headquarters of the Standard Bearers (SB) Islamic Organisation.
Muslim News findings revealed that the examination was conducted simultaneously across seven other centres and six states nationwide, including Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara, and Niger, which merged with the FCT, Abuja,
The Abuja Coordinator, Mr. Idris Jimoh said it was the second edition of the annual examination in Abuja, adding that about 438 students from 20 government secondary schools registered.
“Although the examination started four years ago, this is our second year of participation and alhamdulillah, it has been a wonderful experience.
“For this year, we started with the online registration in August and ended with a manual application in the middle of September 2021. In the end, we were able to resister 438 students through the collective efforts of the committee headed by the Chairman, Ismail Yusuf.
“We went to about 20 government schools and met with their managements. We told them about the examination and called for interested participants, especially Muslim students. After the registration, they gave us the students list. Since then, we have been sending messages and reminders to them about necessary information for the programme.
“However, today, for some reason, some of the registered students couldn’t make it here. In total, about 290 took the exams which majorly centered on English and Mathematics”, Mr. Jimoh stated.
Speaking further, the Abuja Coordinator said the purpose of the examination is to assist indigent but brilliant students, who do not have the means to purchase the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) form and thereafter, offer career mentorship.
He added that about 80 to 90 students will be selected at the end of the examination for the scholarship.
“Those who score 60 upwards will receive full payment to buy their WAEC form. They will be given educational materials and plaques for their excellent performances. Those who don’t score up to that will get half of the WAEC fee”, he added.
Muslim News‘ investigations showed that the examination was also successful in other States of the Federation.
Our Correspondent reported that about 437 students registered in Osun State while 319 participated in the exercise in the five centres located at Ile-Ife, Iwo, Osogbo, Owena, and Ilesha.
In Akure, the Ondo State capital, total registered students were 62, while 34 students took the examination.
The Ile-Ife Coordinator, Mr. Fatai Taiwo Hassan said the examination went well in Ile-Ife and other centres in Osun State, adding that, “The students composed themselves properly and there was no examination malpractice.”
He said the purpose of the CMP is to improve students’ academic performance, adding that, “For them to know their ability and capacity and make adequate preparation before WAEC and NECO examinations.”
The National Coordinator of the Organisation, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Bello, who monitored the examination at Lampbearers Islamic School, Ilorin, Kwara State, later spoke with Muslim News where he expressed satisfaction over the conduct of the examination across all centres.
He said, “Alhamdulillah. We thank God for the success of this year’s CMP. We decided to go physical again, because last year, the examination was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We considered that we don’t want to lose focus for this exam, which is looking out for indigent students. Due to the peculiarity of our country, physical access is required to reach the students.
“Likewise, we consider our capacity as an organisation. We thought that we are still at an early stage for our efforts to reach out to the whole nation and one of the best ways is to explore the physical avenue to interact and relate with the students. This is a big programme, a laudable effort. Alhamdulillah. It all went well.”
Speaking further from Ilorin, the SB Headquarters, Dr. Bello, a Consultant Paediatrician, Federal Medical Centre, Bida, Niger State, Nigeria, however, noted that two cases of attempted examination malpractice were recorded, but were immediately curbed by the invigilators during the exercise.
“We also had the examination starting almost at the same time. The compilation has commenced and in a short while, information will be disseminated on successful candidates, after which we’ll move to the next stage which is the interview session.
“We see this gesture as our social responsibility and an opportunity to reach out to more indigent, but brilliant students and provide them with educational support, which is one of the core objectives of our organisation,” he said.
Dr. Bello, therefore, called on the government at all levels to improve the standard of education and come up with policies that will make learning convenient and comfortable for students at primary and secondary schools.
