The meetings of the various Committees of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Liberia were held in Monrovia from Monday, 22nd to Friday, 26th November 2010. The Committees of Council that met during the period included the Liberia Aptitude Tests and Examinations Committee, the Liberia Administrative and Finance Committee and the Liberia National Committee, which is the highest decision-making organ of the Council in Liberia. The members of the Council’s Committees include Government nominees, representatives of the Ministry of Education, Universities, National Association of Liberia School Principals, National Teachers Association of Liberia, and other interests. The statutory Chairman of the Committees is the Deputy Minister for Instruction who is also the Chief Government Nominee of Liberia on Council, Honourable (Dr.) Mator M. F. Kpangbai.

The Liberia Aptitude Tests and Examinations Committee, at its meeting, expressed appreciation to the Government of Liberia for providing some scanners for the National Office of WAEC to facilitate the processing of examination results.  The Committee urged the Government to further assist the National Office by providing printers and ensuring the prompt release of teachers for the marking of candidates’ scripts, in order to ensure that the target date for the release of each examination result was met. It noted the pragmatic efforts being made by the Government of Liberia to actualize the conduct of the international examination – the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) – in Liberia in 2013. In particular, the Committee commended the Government, through the Ministry of Education, for the ongoing arrangements aimed at ensuring that the teaching curricula and examination syllabuses were circulated to schools within the first quarter of 2011 and that all eligible candidates from recognized schools in the country were given the long-awaited opportunity to sit the first edition of the international examination in 2013.

The Liberia Aptitude Tests and Examinations Committee received reports and statistics on the examinations conducted by WAEC in Liberia during the 2009/2010 reporting period. It also considered reports on the cases of examination malpractice in respect of the examinations and applied sanctions against the candidates, teachers and schools that were found guilty of complicity in malpractice, in accordance with the rules and regulations governing the conduct of the Council’s examinations. The Committee noted with deep concern, that there was an upsurge in the incidence of examination malpractice in the country, as over 23% of the candidates who sat the May 2010 Liberia Senior High School Certificate Examination (LSHSCE) were involved in various forms of malpractice as against 0.56% in 2009. The Committee decried in particular, the increasing rate of syndicated cheating whereby parents sponsored the bribing of school authorities, centre supervisors, invigilators and other examination functionaries to unbridle the evil of examination fraud. It urged the government and other stakeholders in education to discourage at all times, acts that were inimical to the maintenance of educational standards and manpower development in Liberia. It also urged the National Office not to relent in its efforts at sensitizing the public on the evils of examination malpractice, until the total eradication of the cankerworm had been accomplished.

The Liberia Aptitude Tests and Examinations Committee commended the National Office for introducing electronic registration of candidates for its examinations, beginning with the December 2010 LSHSCE and for decentralizing the registration of candidates in such a way that candidates were able to register at locations that were nearest to them.

The Liberia Administrative and Finance Committee, at its meeting, considered among other matters, the Reports of the Internal and External Auditors on the National Office Accounts. The Committee commended the Management of the National Office for the no-fraud verdict of the auditors. The Committee however, observed with dismay, the huge debts owed WAEC Liberia by some schools and individuals due to unpaid examination fees and condemned in strong terms the fraudulent attitude of school administrators who collected examination fees from their students but failed to remit the fees to WAEC. It advised the National Office to publish the debtors’ list in the national newspapers and to ensure that all the debtor schools were not allowed to register candidates for the Council’s examinations until their respective debts were settled.

The Liberia National Committee, at its meeting, noted with appreciation, the efforts being made by the National Office to establish its first Branch Office and a security printing press in Tubmanburg, Bomi County in 2011. It agreed that the decentralization of the Council’s operations would bring the Council’s services closer to the people and that the printing press would save cost and further guarantee the security of the Council’s examination materials. The Committee therefore, expressed appreciation to the Government of Liberia for the anticipated assistance that would enable the National Office to achieve the laudable projects.

At the end of the series of meetings, the Registrar to Council, Alhaja (Mrs.) Mulikat A. Bello, expressed gratitude to the Government and people of Liberia for the support and encouragement which they had continued to give to WAEC. She gave her assurance that the Council would be ready and willing, at all times, to give necessary expert advice, guidance and collaboration for the successful implementation of the various educational programmes of the Government of Liberia. She appealed to the Government, corporate organisations and philanthropic private individuals to institute prizes and awards, similar to what obtains in some other Member Countries of WAEC, to motivate the candidates to aim at excellence in their academic pursuits.

The Registrar used the opportunity to appeal to the Government of Liberia to take necessary steps to settle its indebtedness to the Headquarters to further strengthen the Council in the execution of its mandate.

Biodun Aduloju
Deputy Director (Public Affairs)

ISSUED BY:
PUBLIC AFFAIRS UNIT
WAEC HEADQUARTERS
ACCRA, GHANA

NOVEMBER 26, 2010