Marking of First School Leaving Certificate Exams Begin - But Regional Delegate Worried Over Absences

All is set for a kick-start of the correction exercise of scripts for the 2012 First School Leaving Certificate, FSLC examinations. The exercise begins Monday June 18, 2012 in Bamenda, for some 39.640 pupils who wrote the exams in the North West region. But Suzan Fon, the dynamic North West Regional Delegate for Basic Education who monitored the exercise told newsmen how she was not comfortable with the number of absences. Accordingly, though North West has always stood tall in public exams, she didn’t doubt what the fact that the percentage score would not be below the 81.58%, which the North West region registered last year.

Fon Suzan personally and exceptionally monitored this year’s (2012) FSLC examination in Ngoketunjia division. She roved within six centres in Ngoketunjia, encompassing Ndop central and Babessi sub division. Following her investigations, all went on emaculately within Ngoketunjia. Separate teams roved within the other six divisions in North West. By press time, Chronicle learnt that all went well, given the stringent measures which the Delegate had put in place.

Worthy to note, that though North West scored 81.58% in the 2011 FSLC examination results, there were varied encumbrances. Chronicle gathered that in Menchum division, there was an incident. Reports hold that a group of parents with their pupils almost blocked the writing exercise on grounds that their offspring had been blocked from writing. It was alleged that the school headmaster had vamoosed with FSLC registration of pupils, thus they were unable to write.

Mme Fon Suzan, Chronicle gathered had to step-in to provide stop gap measures to rescue the situation. Incidentally, she took on Menchum to monitor. But when she performed same exercise last wee, but in Ngoketunjia, her only worry was that of absenteeism.

‘I’m a bit disturbed’; she told newsmen before pinpointing how ‘it looked like there were more absences this year than we had ever done’. In each of the centres which she roved through, at least there was a student absent either in Ndop, Babungo, Baba I or Babessi examination centres; unlike in the past wherein in a centre of say 400 or 500 pupils, only one absentee was recorded.

The 2012 FSLC exams is over. Now, it is left for markers to assess pupils. But Fon Suzan was optimistic that North West would still be on top.

Questioned as to what the First School Leaving Certificate, FSLC examination holds today, she said it was still a necessity. She said even though the FSLC no longer serves any major role in the acquisition of jobs or ‘concours’, it was a necessary evaluation examination; ‘even if it is a basic certificate, it is good for the children to have it’, she averred. She added that FSLC helps pupils to spring from one stage to the other; ‘even if everyone had a degree, it would be a good feeling to know that they had the GCE ‘A’, ‘O’ levels and then FSLC’. She concluded by noting that ‘FSLC is a good midway assessment for the child to know how he/she is doing’.

With correction of scripts just kick starting, results are expected in July. Fon Suzan sounded optimistic that like at the Government Common Entrance exams and FSLC in past years, where North West has been almost impeccably it would not be a contrary this year.