The former deputy vice- chancellor, Fourah Bay College, and former pro vice chancellor, University of Sierra Leone, Prof. Thomas Brima Rick Yormah, has emerged the 21st chairman of the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) in the just concluded 72nd annual council meeting of the West African Examinations Council in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The chairman succeeds Prof. Ato Essuman from the Republic of Ghana.
In his key address by His Excellency, Retired Brigadier (Dr.) Julius Maada Bio (GCRSL), congratulated WAEC on its 72nd anniversary and averred that the Council is ranked among the leading forces that have changed and shaped the educational focus of the sub-region.
He noted that the council had played a prominent role in the educational development of the sub-region over the past seventy-two years and had indeed served as a catalyst for the educational reforms that have evolved in member countries. The president stated further that the survival and growth of the council up to its present stature could be attributed principally to the support given by the governments of the five-member countries coupled with the commitment and dedication of the council members and staff, both past and present.
The president who was ably represented by the vice president, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, added that WAEC had served as a beacon of excellence to promote sub-regional cooperation and it is the only pre-independence organisation that had survived the test of time. He pledged that his government is committed to sub-regional and regional cooperation and will always consider WAEC as a blueprint in the pursuit of the desire for greater and more functional regional collaboration.
In his speech, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Sierra Leone, Hon. Conrad Sackey, said since its inception in 1952, the council has played its role creditably by assisting in the development of sound education, and ensuring the maintenance of educational standards.
He stated that this has given the people of the sub-region a vision of the great potentials that lie beyond examinations.
“I congratulate WAEC for having remained relevant for over seven decades and still counting and urged all stakeholders to rally round the council and stamp out examination malpractice in public examinations in the member countries,” he said.
On his part, the Lord Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (OBE), who was ably represented by the Deputy Mayor, Kweku Melvin Lisk, Esq, commended the council for its achievements in the 72 years of its existence and called for greater collaboration between the Freetown City Council and WAEC in their efforts at improving students’ performance in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
