Patrick Ndulu was responding to questions relating to the #give-us-our-results campaign launched by the Fontricia Children’s Foundation (FCF) when he conceded that the allegations of examination malpractices made by the campaigners were true, as according to him, it is just impossible for pupils to engage in exams malpractice without the help of supervisors and examiners.
He however strenuously attempted to shift the blame to the school principals and teachers contracted by WAEC to supervise the exams.
“WAEC is not physically present at most of these exams halls as we rely on the principals to supervise the examiners (teachers) to ensure the exams are free of malpractices. So if the integrity of these supervisors is questionable, it spills down to the teachers, pupils and even the exams,” he argued.
Ndulu said WAEC is aware that some pupils don’t even appear in the examination halls to take these exams but answer scripts are being tendered on their behalf by the examiners at the hall.
WAEC, he disclosed, don’t have the mandate to cancel results of pupils, but has the power to withhold subject grades and results pending investigations.
“The right to cancel subject grades or results is exclusively that of the independent Sierra Leone Examination Committee which is comprised of WAEC staff, conference of principals, head teachers council and the University of Sierra Leone, among others” he said.
Responding to the assertions of the WAEC Boss, the Executive Director of the Fontricia Children’s Foundation, Abdul Fonti, said it is high time Patrick Ndulu tendered his resignation and subject himself to a tribunal after confessing that the exams being conducted by his office were no longer credible.
“Ndulu must resign and face the full force of the law for failing to take legal actions against the principals and school teachers he is accusing of perpetrating exams malpractice at the expense of quality education in Sierra Leone,” Fonti said, noting that WAEC is simply guilty of aiding and abetting the real perpetrators of examination malpractice and punishing the poor pupils.
While threatening to drag WAEC to court for failing to publish evidences of examination malpractice for over one thousand WASSCE pupils, Fonti said it is a shame that the WAEC boss would think he should not be held responsible for contracting people with questionable integrity with no background check to supervise exams that hinge on the future of thousands of Sierra Leonean children.
