May 7, 2021
By: Ilyasa Baa
Our national exam, NPSE, which was slated for May 14th, has been postponed to June 28 and the government is making frantic effort in creating more centres so candidates will not face the burden of traveling long distance to take the exam.
Investigations carried out by A-Z unearthed that the main reasons for the postponement cannot be unconnected to the fact that Eidul Fitri (prayday) may fall on the same day the exam was scheduled to take place, therefore the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education deemed it necessary to give the pupils more time to study for the exam. Another reason, according to our investigation, is as a result of President Bio’s pronouncement that every chiefdoms must at least have one examination centre so that pupils would not walk long distance to take public exams as it used to be the case.
A total of sixty-five centres have been added to the 416 centres across the country and by the look of things, more will be created before the exam is conducted for the one hundred and sixty-one thousand four hundred and four candidates.
According to the Deputy Director of School Broadcasting at the Ministry of Basic Education, Brima Michael Turay, government can change the date for NPSE at will since it is locally oriented not like the BECE and the WASCE which are entirely controlled by the West African Examination Council (WAEC). He cast aspersion on WAEC officials, teachers, parents and pupils saying they are responsible for exam malpractices reportedly taking place. He said this malpractice, being a money-making syndicate, will be stopped to enhance quality education.
He said people should measure the quality education by the sporadic reforms that have taken place over these three years wherein 600,000 pupils enrolled into the system and pregnant girls radically included. He said the Minister, Dr. Sengeh has ordered that pregnant candidates (girls) be allowed to sit in the front row close to the entrance so that they can easily get access to go out when necessary.