WAEC Programmed Data Software to Reject Hijab -MURIC Cries Out

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused the West African Examination Council (WAEC) of victimising female Muslim students across the country through the inability of the council’s registration software to capture candidates dressed in the hijab for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

In a statement signed by Professor Ishaq Akintola, its Director, on Monday, MURIC demanded that WAEC either modifies its software to become hijab-compliant or change the software entirely.

According to the organisation, it has been inundated with reports from Muslim students, their teachers and parents from across the country that the software used by WAEC for capturing during the SSCE registration failed to capture candidates clothed in the hijab.

The organisation criticised WAEC, claiming that the council is deliberately hindering the educational progression of Muslim students in Nigeria.

The statement read: “Here lies the riddle. Several questions come to our minds and it appears only WAEC can answer them. So, over to WAEC. Muslims pay the same amount for WAEC as all others. Why are our daughters being victimized? Why are they being set aside for embarrassment? Why must their religion become a source of discomfort for them? Why are the Muslim parents being made to go through psychological trauma?

“And now to fundamental issues that are directly connected to WAEC’s software in the questions. Who designed the software? Why is the software not capturing the hijab used by Muslim female students? Why would it be designed specifically not to capture Muslim females wearing hijab? Are we saying Muslim children cannot be Muslims anymore until they take non-Muslim identities? Why didn’t the designers of WAEC’s software put the hijab into consideration ab initio? Was there any test-running before the design was approved? If there was a test-running, who supervised the test-running and where is the report?

“It is our considered opinion that WAEC is being used by certain forces to retard the educational progress of Nigerian Muslims. We also suspect very strongly that the controversial software is one of the plans of Islamophobic elements to frustrate Muslims after it became evident that no examination body has the right to ban Muslim students from using hijab.”

MURIC demanded a probe into the development, operation, deployment and application of the software being used by WAEC, adding that it would volunteer a Muslim expert to be co-opted into the team of investigators.

The organisation demanded that the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) also be involved in the investigations, adding that is best for WAEC to accept its suggestions or bear the responsibility for the likely reaction of Nigerians to what it described as “anti-Muslim policies”.

“MURIC demands answers to these questions without delay. Controversies over WAEC registration, stereotyping and maltreatment of Muslim candidates and imposition of anti-Muslim time-tables have become recurring decimals over the years. MURIC has intervened peacefully and diplomatically over the years. Yet the controversies keep popping up year in year out.

“We warn that Nigerian Muslims are running out of patience concerning WAEC’s intransigence and its contemptible treatment of Muslims. This examination body should, therefore, be blamed for any breakdown of law and order over its obnoxious and anti-Muslim policies,” the statement read.