THE WEST AFRICAN Examination Council (WAEC)-Liberia office has announced that the country might forfeit this year’s West African Senior Secondary School Examinations (WASSCE), owing to the country’s indebtedness to the Council in the amount of US$5 million for annual obligations or dues, and not candidates’ registration fees.
IT SAID THAT Liberia as member of the council is indebted to the regional educational body for ten years, since the country made her last annual obligation or due as member of the council.
THE NEGLIGENCE OF the country to honor its international obligation is the main cause that it has cumulated this huge debt that has exceeded US$5m.
FOR THE RECORD, for the past 5 years, the government has paid all fees for its candidates that wrote the examination, and does not owe WAEC for students’ fees.
WACE-LIBERIA BOSS, DALE Gbotoe, told the media in Monrovia that government has intervened by paying its annual obligation to the council three times. Since then, nothing, and until those outstanding dues are settled, the country’s candidates might not write the regional examination this year.
HE SAID, AMONG many things, that the examination for Senior Secondary School candidates (12th graders) is scheduled to be administered from Thursday, May 16, to Monday, June 10, of this year, while Junior Secondary School candidates (9th graders) are due in March, as well as that of the 6th and 3rd graders in February (next month).
INDEED, IT IS shocking that the country has not settled its annual obligation (dues) to the regional educational body for years now, for which we have been threatened with forfeiting our spot to write this year’s examination if we fail to settle said obligation.
THE PRONOUNCEMENT ABOUT our annual obligation to the regional educational body is worrisome and must therefore claim the immediate attention of the government so as to remedy the situation immediately. If the whole amount cannot be paid, at least, some considerate portion can be paid to soften the hard-nut, thereby allowing or permitting the country to write this year’s examination without hinderance.
AS A MEMBER, WE do know that we are obligated to numerous international bodies in term of annual due payment, and as such, WAEC is no exception. Therefore, it is our responsibility to meet our obligations (annual dues) with these bodies before participating in any of their meetings or programs.
FOR THIS REASON, we are urging the government to act now before it gets too late.
