FOR over a year, the West African Examination
Council, (WAEC) has withheld the May/June
2013/2014 SSSE results of students in Cross
Rivers State following the state’s inability to
complete payment of its statutory examination
fees.
Following this development, students in the
state cannot process their admission documents
into various higher institutions in the country
and the Labourt Party (LP) in the state has
decried the situation as “embarrassing and
unacceptable” accusing the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) led government in the state of
being insensitive to education and the plight of
Cross Riverians.
Addressing a rally of massive supporters of LP
in Ikom on Monday, the party’s Senatorial
candidate for Cross River Central, Dr. Sandy
Onor described the development as very
frustrating to both students and their parents,
noting that “children wrote WAEC since last year
and till today, they have not seen their results
because the government in Cross River has
deliberately refused to pay WAEC.
“Why should government be the one thwarting
educational progress of our young ones? The
same government that claims to be bankrupt
and cannot pay token for students’ results to be
released is the same government spending
billions of Naira to conduct simple party
primaries.
“Our state is no more the cleanest in the
country because dirt has taken over. Salaries
are owed and people are suffering. Where are
we heading? We have come to liberate Cross
Rivers from slavery.”
One of the affected students who simply gave
her name as Mary, said, “this government is not
sensitive to our plight. Imagine how they are
making us suffer. I know if it was a political
matter that affects them the government will
immediately rush and get money to pay.
“ I have admission into the university, but
without the SSSE result to present, I cannot go
anywhere. Please the government should come
to our rescue because this is not healthy for us
and the state”.
The State’s Commissioner for Education,
Professor Offiong Offiong admitted that the
state was “owing WAEC N133 million and we
have paid them N108 million and the balance is
N25 million which the Accountant General says
he is making efforts to pay. So that is the
situation”.
The LP has accused the PDP led government in
the state of not giving priority to education but
Professor Offiong said, “I cannot comment on
that and I am not the one that controls the
treasury of the state. I don’t know where they
(LP) are getting their information but I think
that everybody in the state has seen that even
salaries have been delayed. The thing did not
start now. It is a problem that has been trailing
us for up to a period of one year now. The
politics is just starting in the last one month or
two. So this problem has been with us for some
time now”.
For the students who are disturbed, he said,
“we have appealed to them through the Parents
Teachers Association (PTA), through their
principals because this is a matter that is
beyond the Ministry. The state is passing
through some serious financial crisis, which
calls for understanding by everybody. It is
rather unfortunate, that is the last thing we
would have expected to happen to our schools
at this time, but be it as it may, we are hoping
that we will resolve that this week”.
Written by Anietie Akpan,
http://m.ngrguardiannews.com
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