The head of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) Dale Gbotoe has disclosed that the Government of Liberia is heavily indebted to the West African Examination Council headquarters in the tone of US 5 million.
Mr. Gbotoe said it has been agreed by all African countries that a set amount be paid to the WAEC headquarters as due to allow students from the various West African countries sit the exam.
Speaking on recently on a local radio station, Mr. Gbotoe said in 2023, WAEC headquarters decided that for all those who did not meet up with their due payments as agreed upon by the headquarters, WAEC could take a strong stance against them.
Mr. Gbotoe added that the stance of WAEC decided to take is that students of a country who did't meet up with its obligation will not sit for the exam.
According to the WAEC Liberia boss, in 2023, the Government of Liberia paid some of the due to the WAEC headquarters to allow its students sit for the exam. He furthered that there are three countries that are indebted to WAEC headquarters and not only Liberia.
Gbotoe disclosed that there are three countries including Liberia that are indebted to the WAEC headquarters and appealed to the Board of WAEC to allow their students sit the for the exam after which they will pay their dues.
Mr. Gbotoe added that the appeal has not been erased from the WAEC headquarters' list of indebted African countries.
According to him, Liberia's indebtedness to WAEC headquarters amounts to over US$5 million, an amount that should be paid before Liberian students sit for this year's examination at WAEC headquarters.
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Gbotoe said it is an accumulative debt that Liberia owned WAEC headquarters adding that it is not a debt that just came to Liberia over the last one or two years. He furthered that it has been a debt of over ten years that Liberia owned WAEC headquarters.
Dale Gbotoe further clarified that the US$5 million which Liberia owes is due to what they all agreed upon as African countries to pay to the West African Examination Council headquarters. He said the payment for the examination is absolutely free for students in Africa but the countries have to pay their dues to maintain the agreement previously entered into.
According to him, previously no government was paying exam fees but all governments were under the obligation to pay their dues.
Mr. Gbotoe added, "As a member of an organization, you have to pay your dues as a responsibility, and as a country come up to say that in addition to paying my dues, I will also pay for students." He added that the amount paid for students exceeded the amount of that country's due.
Mr. Gbotoe disclosed that in 2023 the Government of Liberia gave WAEC Liberia the amount of US$400.00 as examination fees for students, and the due Liberia was to pay amounts to about US$600.00.
