By Ragan M. Conteh
A famous MP who has been calling for non-registered students to be able to sit the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) this year is promising a lawsuit against the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
“If government fails to listen to the cries of parents and the students, within 72 hrs, I will sue them to court,” says Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara, the Opposition Chief in parliament.
Many are with perspective that for Sierra Leone to be at the backdoor of quality education, West Africa Examination Council and Ministry of Basic and Secondary School are among the factors that responsible for such uncanny situation in the country as there are ocular proofs for justification.
Since the opposition Chief Whip Hon. Karim brought the issue of some students that have been deprived from taking the forthcoming WASSCE in the limelight, it has become a topical issue as almost all walks of life are keen on knowing details on the issue of affected WASSCE students who government are refusing to sit the public exam.
Most parents wish to know whether there will be a remedy on the issue or not.
Few days ago, Parliament through Education Committee invited the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) and Ministry of Basic and Secondary School Education (MBSSE) to face questioning in relation to the issue which has to do with thousands of students whose names have been omitted from the register to sit the forthcoming WASSCE.
During the examinations, representatives from aforesaid institutions succinctly narrated their own part of the story, especially on the CASS issue as one of set alternatives for the exams.
Irrespective of their plethora of explanations majority have viewed the education committee like someone throwing water on a duck’s back.
Because they believe the two institutions have come in acquiescence or connivance to deprive the poor parents as well as the students from taking the WASSCE.
However, Opposition Chief continues to express his dissatisfaction over the submissions of WAEC and the ministry as they are yet to provide resolutions that will enable the deprived students to take the exams.
“We have been in this fight for the past weeks but it seems WAEC and the ministry are looking for delay tactics,” they said.
The Opposition Chief made these statements as those institutions are playing with the minds of the people as they are yet to provide leadership.
He made this known to the general public that if those institutions reluctantly deny the future of those students he will utilize the country as the only alternative to prevail justice for the affected students.
He emphatically stated that 30% CASS should not be a priority for candidates to determine their fate as there is a tendency for them to pass the exams with flying colours without the CASS (continuous assessment scores) system.
He maintained that with all indicators those students should be incorporated in the exam’s register to enable students to write their exams.
He said that he was not doing this to score political goals but to ensure that the issue of impunity in some of the institutions comes to a halt as it has become a norm to them.
He, therefore, continues to call on the President to remove his lens and to focus on the issue as the institutions that are responsible to augment his efforts are the very blood that are clandestinely undermining the process.