Mrs. Mary Karnga Dahn, Mission Director of the Worldwide Mission School and Liberia Christian High School in Buchanan, says she intends to graduate students who did not meet the West Africa Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) graduation requirements.
According to Ablee-Jay Media, Dahn believes one examination should not define a student's future or damage a young person's self-esteem. She also reportedly said that if graduating students result in a fine, she is prepared to pay it.
I agree with her on one point: failing WASSCE does not make a child a failure. Young people should be encouraged when they fall short and reminded that one disappointing result does not determine their future. But that is not really the issue. The question is whether students who have not met the required standard should be allowed to graduate anyway.
We should also be asking what happened before these students entered the examination hall. Were they properly taught? Was the curriculum covered? Were struggling students identified early and given help? WASSCE did not teach these students. The schools did, and their role in the results cannot be ignored.
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If there is evidence that WASSCE was flawed, present it. If there were problems with the questions, scoring or administration of the exam, those concerns should be investigated. But poor results alone do not prove that the examination is the problem. Sometimes an examination simply reveals weaknesses we would rather not confront.
Dahn's reported willingness to pay a fine is particularly troubling. If the Ministry of Education has established graduation requirements, a school cannot simply decide to ignore them and accept the financial penalty. A fine should not become a fee for breaking the rules. If that becomes acceptable, schools that can afford the penalty can treat national requirements as optional.
A high school diploma must have value. Parents, colleges and employers should be able to trust that the person receiving it has met the requirements for graduation. Students who fall short should be supported, prepared to retake WASSCE and given another opportunity to succeed. There is no shame in trying again.
There is also a basic question of accountability. Schools proudly celebrate their teachers and students when WASSCE results are good. They cannot claim success when students perform well and blame the examination when they do not. Poor results should lead to an honest review of what happened and what needs to change.
If Dahn follows through and knowingly graduates students contrary to the Ministry's requirements, the government should go beyond imposing a fine and consider revoking the school's license. This is not about punishing students. It is about whether national education rules have any real meaning. A school cannot be licensed by the government and then openly choose which requirements it will obey.
Our education system will not improve if we lower the standard whenever students struggle to meet it. Nor will it improve if schools are unwilling to examine their own performance. Students deserve encouragement and second chances, but they also deserve schools that prepare them to succeed.
When the results are disappointing, blaming WASSCE is easy. Looking honestly at what happened in the classroom is harder. That is where the conversation should start.
About the Author
Dr. Chris Tokpah is the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness at Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania, where he leads institutional research, evaluation, and accreditation efforts. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Research Methods and Statistics in the Ph.D. program at Delaware Valley University, a Peer Evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and a Coach for Achieving the Dream.
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The Author
Dr. Tokpah holds a Ph.D. in Program Evaluation and Measurement and an MBA in Management Information Systems from Kent State University, as well as a B.Sc. in Mathematics from the University of Liberia. He has participated in and supervised research and evaluation projects supported by organizations including the World Bank, IDA, USAID, Geneva Global, and the African Development Bank.
He is a co-owner of the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Policy (CENREP), a Liberian consulting firm specializing in research, evaluation, strategic planning, and training. He writes regularly on education, public policy, and development issues affecting Liberia. He can be reached at ctokpah@cenrepliberia.org.
