WAEC blunders as Police beats Invigilator

By Elkass I. L. Sannoh

As National Primary School Examination (NPSE) was in progress on Saturday, May 5, news gathered by this paper gathered that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) officials blundered by not issuing out identification cards to the Invigilators who were deployed at the West African Methodist Collegiate Secondary School at Wilkinson Road, Freetown.

Te reports further stated that this mistake lead to the merciless beating of one Mr. Picket Sesay by Police Officers assigned to the same centre.

This Reporter was reliably informed by the National Officer-in- charge of the NPSE, Mr.  Egerton Johnson that he received an urgent telephone call from one the examinations officials attached to the Collegiate School that a fracas was going on between the Police and the pupils of the school.

He explained that when he reached the scene, he was informed by the Acting Vice Principal of the school, Mr. M. I. Pizzaro Sesay, that the Police Officers assigned to the school assaulted one of his Technology Teachers.

In an interview with Mr. Pizzaro Sesay, he said he blamed both WAEC for not providing identification for the Invigilators on the one hand and the Police Officers for behaving unprofessionally on the other hand.

He pointed out that the Police Officers had no right to beat his Teacher even if he may have done something to them.

“I believe we are living in a country with laws and if my Teacher something wrong he must have been reported to me so that we can sort things out but should not have been beaten like a common criminal,” he observed.

He also explained that had he not intervened to cool down the situation the pupils would have reacted badly.

He said he was not pleased with the behaviour of the Police Officer and maintained that he will report the matter to the Police high Command for further investigations.

When one of the Police Officers, PC 12186 Folarin A, talked to this Reporter, he said they did not beat Mr. Picket Sesay, but when he was further quizzed as to why the Teacher was wounded on his head he said, “Go and ask the WAEC officials.”

All efforts to talk to the WAEC officials, representatives from the Education Ministry, the Freetown City Council and the victim proved futile.