Principals admit students without requisite results

Investigation by Daily Trust revealed that the principals carried out the blanket admission exercise last September when the new academic session began.
 It was gathered that the principals admitted the students after the state Ministry of Education failed to release the results of the Unified Examinations (First School Leaving Certificate Examination, FSLCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) conducted last June.
 The FSLCE and the BECE are the two statutory internal examinations conducted by the ministry. It was gathered that about 19,700 students sat for the FLSCE while 15,000 sat for the BECE.
 It was further learnt that students who sought admission into secondary schools outside the state, especially the Federal Government Colleges, also known as Unity Schools, did not succeed due to the non-release of the results.
 A source who spoke to Daily Trust on basis of anonymity said both examinations were held in June 2014 but the results have not been released by the ministry.
He said principals have admitted SSS one students in all secondary schools in the state without seeing the results to know those that passed the examinations.
 “Students who would have secured admission into secondary schools in neighbouring states have been denied admission because they do not have results to present,” he said.
 According to him, the ugly situation had been compounded by the ministry’s inability to appoint a new Director of Exams and Records after the former director retired a few weeks ago.
 While efforts to get the reaction of the Commissioner for Education, Dein Benadoumene, proved abortive, a senior management staff in the ministry, who pleaded anonymity, said the matter was being resolved.