From TONY OSAUZO, Benin
Friday, April 23, 2010
About 17 private secondary schools proprietors have been arrested for allegedly forging the signature of the Edo State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Ngozi Osarenren in their desperate bid to illegally enroll candidates for the 2010 West Africa Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSSCE).
The proprietors were alleged to have gone through the back door to get the clearance of the Ministry of Education to register extra candidates for the examination..
The commissioner, who disclosed this while addressing journalists, said her ministry had put strict measures in place to ensure a hitch-free conduct of the examination, adding that the measures were to plug loopholes that could lead to examination malpractice by some of the private schools.
She explained that schools were expected to obtain clearance from the ministry’s Department of Planning, Research and Statistics using particular form. She added that the clearance involved private schools producing the certificate of approval and renewal fees for three years up to 2008.
“The clearance is, thereafter, taken by the proprietor/proprietress to the Chief Inspector of Education of the school’s Local Government Area where the Chief Inspector of Education clears for the Junior School Certificate Examination Certificates and the number to be enrolled,” Dr. Osarenren explained.
She added that the clearance letter was to be issued by the Honourable Commissioner for Education to the West African Examinations Council for enrolment of a particular number of candidates for the school, after all processes had been checked by Director of Education.
The commissioner announced that 17 schools in Benin City were discovered to have forged her signature and official letter head paper to get clearance for enrolment and promised to release more list of offending schools.
