By Kemo Cham
It’s national examination week for Junior Secondary Schools in Sierra Leone.
From July 29 to August 7, over 126, 000 candidates are taking the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), the Senior Secondary School entry examination, which is conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
For many young Sierra Leoneans taking this exam, it’s an exciting experience all through. But for many others from communities like Seria in the northern district of Falaba, where there are no examination centers, it’s an arduous experience. They have to travel to communities with examination centers, sometimes in far distances.
The closest center to Seria is Bendugu, the district headquarters town, which lies about six miles away.
Candidates from the Missionary Church of Africa Junior Secondary School (MCA) in Seria, had to travel through long and bad roads to Bendugu to sit the exam. Their parents and teachers say it was a daunting task to complete.
Transportation in most of rural Sierra Leone is a constant uphill struggle. Bikes are the popular means. But they are expensive and, depending on road condition, can be dangerous too.
The cost of fuel – NLe30 per liter for the official – has seen transportation cost go skyrocket.
“When you want to take bike…it’s very expensive, because here fuel is NLe50 per litter. And not everybody is selling it,” said Head Teacher Alhaji Demba Fofanah, who heads the school’s examination delegation.
The school and the community had to arrange for transportation and lodging.
This year, MCA has 64 candidates, all of whom were housed at the one-block building of the Ansarul Primary School of Bendugu.
“Because of the numerous challenges that we face, thinking about the movement of such a huge number of kids where their parents rely on you alone, the administration, to control them, is very difficult. So that has a negative impact on them,” noted Mr Fofana.
Twenty-five of the candidates are girls and they are all crammed in a classroom, where they would spend the rest of the week.
Thanks to the Government’s Radical Inclusion policy, Saio Marah had a second chance at having an education after an unwanted pregnancy resulting from a relationship with a teenager in her village of Yibakiridu, neighbouring Seria.
Saio, whose dream is to be a nurse, was forced to relocate to Seria in the face of stigmatization at home, to continue her education. She was happy that she was finally sitting to the example.
“I feel happy taking the senior secondary school entry exams because my friends who were laughing at me, today some of them have given birth to two or three babies. And I have only one and I am also still in school,” she said.
Fellow candidate, Foday Yusif Dabbo, is inspired by his desire to take his parents out of poverty.
“Some of our parents are farmers. And they are suffering in our communities. They sent us to school for us to learn and help get them out of that suffering. That is what I am here to fulfill,” he said.
But for these kids, getting here was no fun experience. Their parents were required to contribute for transportation, lodging and feeding.
And not everyone could afford it. The school had to come to their aid. But still, some had to walk.
Those whose parents paid, had to be crammed onto bikes – in fours, fives and even sixes – to share the cost.
“We are faced with a lot of difficulties. You can see where we sleep. The place is not comfortable. The place is cold. We left our homes to come here. We are struggling. We face different other problems. Our monies and properties are stolen. We are not eating to satisfaction. For the day, we eat just once. We are really struggling, so we are appealing to the government so that we can have more BECE centers,” said another female candidate, Fatmata Kamara.
“I have been studying for three years for this exam. Finally, I am sitting to it. I am happy,” she added.
Seria is the Sectional headquarters for 12 villages within Mongor Chiefdom. BECE candidates from all the schools in these communities travel to Mongor to sit the exam, the farthest of them located 17 miles from Bendugu.
Due to the bad condition of the six-mile long road linking Seria to Bendugu, one of the boys fell off from the bike he was riding on along with five others.
“It was a very severe incident, but thank God, because of the intervention of medical authorities, he was treated. We have informed the parents about the incident. And they felt very discouraged,” lamented Fofana.
The solution, said the school’s authorities and parents, is for their village to have its own examination center.
“During the preparation for the kids’ departure, some of the parents were so poor that they couldn’t afford the cost involved. If they (children) were here, whatever food the parents prepare, they can eat and go for their papers,” says Joseph Yorseh Marah, Town Chief of Seria.
But Deputy Director of Education in Falaba, Philip Alex Kanu, says Seria didn’t meet the condition to have an exam center.
“They don’t have enough candidate for them to have a center. You should have at least 200 candidates for you to have a center. Most of those schools have around 20, 30 and maximum 50 candidates. WAEC will not open a center there,” he explained.
But according to the Town Chief, there is a solution to that.
“This year, we had 64 candidates. Seria as the sectional headquarters comprises 12 villages. Candidates from surrounding communities can join us to make the required number for a center,” he said.
“Some of the kids walked to Bendugu, because they couldn’t afford the cost of a bike ride. Some will have to walk back home, for as long as 17 miles. We are all appealing to the authorities to establish a center here to stop this,” the chief added.
Until this issue is addressed, national examinations for these and many young Sierra Leoneans will remain a not-so-nice experience, despite the enthusiasm it is supposed to come with.
