A total of 24, 545 exit students on Monday began their West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Kano State, amid strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 11, 400 of the 27, 454 students were from public schools while the remaining 16, 460 registered for the examination in private schools in the state.

The examination was being conducted in 538 designated centres in the state.

A NAN correspondent who monitor the examination at some of the centres, reports that the schools had put in place measures to facilitate compliance to the COVID-19 guidelines.

Some of the schools visited include Rumfa College, Government Senior Secondary School, Sabuwar Kofa, Kano Capital Schools and Governor’s College, Kano.

At the entrance of the visited schools, handwashing facilities such as soap, hand sanitiser, water and infrared thermometer devices were provided while students and other visitors were subjected to tempreture checks.

NAN reports also that students and examiners used facemasks while social distancing were observed in the examination halls.

A school official at Rumfa College, who pleaded anonymity said adequate arrangements were put in place in the school to ensure total compliance with the COVID-19 guidelines.

“We have a total of 214 students sitting for WAEC in the school. The main examination hall accommodates 600 students in a normal examination period.

“But in compliance with the social distancing occasioned by the pandemic, we have 186 students in the hall. The remaining 28 were shared into two classes,” he said.

At GGSS, Sabuwar Kofa, an official of the school, said about 30 students would write the examination in the centre.

Also speaking, Mr Jerry Adaji, the Principal, First Grade Comprehensive School, added that 30 candidates would sit for the examination in the school.

Adaji said: “On a normal setting; we have 55 students in a class but with the COVID -19 pandemic, the students are divided into 14 per classroom,” he said. (NAN)