-Education Min. threatens to fine schools who graduate flunkies LD$250,000
By Augustine Octavius,augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The West African Examinations Council has released the provisional results for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates 2019, with Liberian students performing better than last year.
According to WACE, which released the results on the eve of Liberia’s 172nd Independence anniversary (July 25, 2019), the overall performance of the candidates in this year’s examinations “is encouraging,” as compared to their counterparts who sat the previous year.
The Head of WAEC Monrovia Office, Mr. Dale Gboto announced the results at a news conference at the headquarters of WAEC in the Congo Town suburb.
This is the second time that all Liberian high school students have sat the WASSCE.
According to the performance category for 2019, 406 candidates out of the 39,580 passed both math and English while 13 passed in five subjects, including Math and English.
Some 4,379 passed with credits in five subjects while 11,817 passed with credits any three subjects.
Two candidate passed all subjected while 278 others passed in seven subjects
A total of 2,972 candidates passed five subjects while 27,251 passed at least one subject, the WAEC provincial results say.
Some 12, 329 candidates from 46 schools throughout the country failed to pass any of the subject are therefore are not eligible to graduate.
And according to the Education Minister, Dr. Ansu Sonii, none of the students in this category will be allowed to graduate.
Professor Sonii, who sat next to the WAEC boss when the results were being released, said the Liberian government will fine school 250,000 Liberian Dollars for each student who failed the exam is allowed to graduate.
The WAEC Monrovia Office head, Mr. Dale Gboto said that this year’s WASSCE was administered at 237 centers across the country and in Liberia, sat in nine subjects including economics, geography and history.
Others are literature, English, Mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics.
According to him, 39,887 candidates from 651 senior high schools submitted entries online for the examinations.
“20,956 candidates constitutes 52.32 percent were males while 18,931 candidates constituting 47.46 percent were females,”
“The entry for the examination also included four visually impaired (three males and one female) candidates.”
He added that 28,408 candidates representing 71.22 percent of the 39,887 candidates who entered for the examinations, were from private schools across the country, while 11,479 representing 28.78 percent were from public schools across Liberia.
“Of the 39,887 candidates who entered for the examination, 39,580 representing 99.23 percent who entered sat the exams.”
“20,778 candidates were males while 18,802 were females.”
Mr. Gboto disclosed that some candidates were involved in other forms of examination malpractice.
According to him, 8,714 candidates’ results are withheld for the following reasons.
“90 were caught with cell phones in examination halls, 120 caught with foreign materials and 200 others involved other irregular activities.”
“Five assaulted and insulted examination officers and 8,299 from 72 schools colluded.”
Mr. based on these prevailing offences above, all the results of these candidates are therefore cancelled.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is Africa’s foremost examining body established by law to determine the examinations required in the public interest in the English-speaking West African countries and to conduct the examinations and to award certificates comparable to those of equivalent examining authorities internationally.
WAEC says it strives to provide qualitative and reliable educational assessment, encouraging academic and moral excellence, and promoting sustainable human resource development and international cooperation.
WAEC Liberia is a conglomerate of an examining body comprising five West African countries including The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.