December 9, 2020 (SALONE TIMES)
FREETOWN – Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Dr. David Moninia Sengeh has said that no country can develop when they politicized education.
He made this statement on Tuesday December 7th 2020 at the well of Parliament while updating Members of Parliament on the status of basic education and the recently Published WASSCE result.
Dr. Sengeh pointed out that WASSCE is an international exam that is conducted Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) based on the 1984 WAEC Act.
He explained that anywhere pupils score A1 to E8 is a pass, for credit is A1 to C6 and for fail is when pupils get F9, noting that, there are requirements for higher technical education and that the requirements for a degree course depend on the institutions and the university.
He informed them that between 2018 and 2019 during the annual school census they had an increase in the number of Senior Secondary Schools which led to 50% increment in enrollment.
That the examinations candidates for WASSCE in 2016 was 23,000, for 2018 is 30,000 and that the for this year, 151, 000 candidates sat to the exams
“Between 2016 to 2020 the candidature increase from 30,000 to 150,000 and the number of male and female grow equally in the Senior Secondary Schools and that it cuts across regions,” the Minister added.
He explained that some results were withheld due to examinations malpractices and that the issues of malpractices were picked up by either the ACC or the Sierra Leone Police.
