Will 12th Graders Make A Difference In This Year’s WAEC?

Samuel Teh, Student UL

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has commenced the administering of this year’s exams to 12^th Graders across the country.

 With the dismal results of last year and previous years, what can parents, guardians and the students themselves expect from this year’s results?

Some Liberians have been speaking to FrontPage Africa on how they feel about the mass failures of students, and the way forward.

Clara K. Mallah clara.mallah@frontpageafricaonline.com

J. Koffa Weah, Employee, Ministry of Finance

“My point on education is that the Ministry of Education is doing its best to put all mechanisms in place for the students to make good grades in the examinations. The students are not serious, when I say they not are not serious, I’m talking in terms of the students applying efforts to their studies.

The students don’t read when they come from school, some go to look for their daily bread. Even if the teacher gives an assignment, the student will leave it and go to look for food. Some of the students are self supported. Due to this, many of them can’t meet up with the requirements at school at that particular time.

It is true most schools don’t have laboratories and libraries. We will put the blame on the MOE for that. The ministry should make sure schools have these equipments before allowing them to operate. With these equipments the students will learn well, so the MOE is responsible for the errors over the years too. The WAEC outcome will be a mass failure for the fact that present day students are not taking education as first priority.”

Ansu Donso, Journalist

“I think if we are to look at the mass failure in WAEC, I will attribute it to two institutions, the MOE and the students themselves. For the MOE, if we look at WAEC from 2000-2007, the questions of WAEC were too exposed, but now WAEC has advanced its system and it’s not so easy to get the questions, so that’s why the students are failing.

The schools also, most are not making efforts to encourage the students to read, these are all constituting to the students’ failure. The schools should prepare themselves more. The division 1 & 2 positions were only many around here because the tests could easily be leaked to the students. The MOE should monitor various schools to make sure facilities like computers, text books, and libraries are present to accommodate good students if I may say. The students are weak and they must work harder. If a student fails the WAEC, that student must sit in class the next academic year and rewrite the exams, which will encourage others to put in seriousness towards WAEC. I think the outcome of the WAEC result will be mass failures.”

Samuel D. Teh, II, student, UL,

“I think the teachers are to be blamed. In those days checks and balances were made on students. Teachers were always inspecting students’ copy books and made sure that students were on time. It’s not happening these days, teachers are not properly managing their students, and some don’t even call row in class.

The teachers even go ahead to fail some students because they did not give them money, while others who can afford will obtain the A’s. All these factors are reasons that lead to students’ failure in the WAEC. From my own observation, I feel the results of the WAEC will be very poor.”

Geeba Kabu, student, AME Zion University

“Well, we all wish them success. But I think from my point of view, some of the failures, I will blame the various schools. Reason is that I don’t know how they cater to the students because as far we are concerned WAEC and MOE send curriculums to these schools, so what are all these failures about?

I think these schools don’t have qualified teachers and administrations and are not doing much to look after the students’ educational wellbeing. For me, from what I have observed this year, students were a bit serious with their lessons, maybe because last year’s results were bad. So I think many people will pass the WAEC.”

H. Benneh Carey, businessman

“I believed all mechanisms were put in place to help the students improve educational-wise and the WAEC as well. I can positively assure you that students will pass the WAEC.”