Monrovia – The results of Liberian students who sat the 2018 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) are disastrous. This has reaffirmed the weakness of the country’s education system, proving that it cannot compete in the sub-region.
Report by Willie N. Tokpah, [email protected]
Provisional results issued Thursday in Monrovia by WAEC, show that out of 33,124 candidates that sat the examination, 21,580 were unsuccessful while 11, 544 students were successful.
According to WAEC, the 21,580 candidates that failed the examination represent 65.51% and 11,544 that passed represents 34.85%.
At the same, 855 candidates’ results are being withheld for various forms of examination malpractices which range from “being caught with cellphones, foreign materials, irregular activities and insults or assaults”. Also, 571 candidates are results are said to be withheld for collusion.
A total of 33,979 candidates from 600 high schools submitted all entries for the examination but WAEC noted that at least 32 of the 600 have a 100% positive rate in at least one subject, whereas 33 have 90% pass rate.
Students Samuel G. Sumo of the Firestone School System in Margibi County and Munah J. Wlemus of the ELWA Academy in Paynesville passed with credits in English language and Mathematics.
Also, students Emanuel Morris of the J.J. Roberts United Methodist High School and Peter Thomas Kollie of the St. Martin Catholic High School in Gbarnga, Bong County were successful in eight of the nine subjects, while students Nelly Wende of SOS Hermann Greiner School in Monrovia and Ahmadou R. Jalloh of the William Booth High School were successful in seven of the nine subjects.
Though 33,979 completed all entries, WAEC added that a total of 33,124 candidates were successful.
The result further deepens the woes of the country’s education system and reignites the urge to fix the system which was termed by former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as a mess.
Minister of Education Professor Ansu Sonii has recently recommended some reforms to fix the problem, although there have been unanswered questions about the implementation.
Prior to the exams this year, there were concerns that the poor preparation of Liberian students reduced their chances of passing the test. School administrators and other stakeholders of the sector said that the administering the tests in Liberia was too earlier and that the improving the system before introducing the test is preferable considering the enormous challenges dogging the system.
WAEC Boss Dale G. Gbotoe predicted that there would have been massive failure in the examination because according to him, it was strange to Liberian students.
Gbotoe, at the time, suggested that Liberia students will continue to perform poorly for the next three years in WASSCE Examination until the country’s educational system gets adjusted to the test.
Also responding to the result of the exams on Thursday, one school administrator expressed disappointment, claiming that the students were constrained to take the exams.
Dada Drapper, Principal of Patmelia Academy High School, said the unpreparedness of schools in the country and “total cohesion” by WAEC for students to sit the test created the mass failure.
“We are very disappointed with the result; we feel that Liberia was not prepared for the examination,” he said. “This means that Liberian students are not doing better, and I feel that schools and students were coerced to take the test.”
Like Principal Drapper, many school administrators are aware that the lack of instructional materials and other factors are impeding the learning process of students. They are suggesting that until a robust reform is adopted, the sector will continue to perform poorly.