Liberia students all fail university admission exam

[Doktor]

Liberia's education minister says she finds it hard to believe that not a single candidate passed this year's university admission exam.

Nearly 25,000 school-leavers failed the test for admission to the University of Liberia, one of two state-run universities.

The students lacked enthusiasm and did not have a basic grasp of English, a university official told the BBC.

Liberia is recovering from a brutal civil war that ended a decade ago.

'Dreams shattered'

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel peace laureate, recently acknowledged that the education system was still "in a mess", and much needed to be done to improve it.

Many schools lack basic education material and teachers are poorly qualified, reports the BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh from the capital, Monrovia.

However, this is the first time that every single student who wrote the exam for a fee of $25 (£16) has failed, our reporter says.

It means that the overcrowded university will not have any new first-year students when it reopens next month for the academic year.

Students told him the result was unbelievable and their dreams had been shattered, our reporter adds.

Education Minister Etmonia David-Tarpeh told the BBC Focus on Africa programme that she intended to meet university officials to discuss the failure rate.

"I know there are a lot of weaknesses in the schools but for a whole group of people to take exams and every single one of them to fail, I have my doubts about that," Ms David-Tarpeh said. "It's like mass murder."

Ms David-Tarpeh said she knew some of the students and the schools they attended.

"These are not just schools that will give people grades. I'd really like to see the results of the students," she added.

University spokesman Momodu Getaweh told Focus on Africa that the university stood by its decision, and it would not be swayed by "emotion".

"In English, the mechanics of the language, they didn't know anything about it. So the government has to do something," he said.

"The war has ended 10 years ago now. We have to put that behind us and become realistic."

- - - - -

It can't be the students fault.

[dave lukins]

You can expect some failures in any exam but 25,000 is astonishing. It seem improbable that every single student would fail and I assume the authorities are looking into the exam itself. 25,000 failed students with nothing to fill in their day is a recipe for disaster.

[Doktor]

If someone wants to help Liberians, send them teachers and someone to reform the education.

[Bigfella]

If someone wants to help Liberians, send them teachers and someone to reform the education.

I think part of the problem is the 'the civil war ended 10 years ago' bit. The place was at war virtually non-stop from 1989-2003. What happened there made the breakup of Yugoslavia look like a minor skirmish. Virtually all of these kids would have had horribly interrupted schooling at a crucial point in their language learning process. I doubt that even well resourced schools in other nations would have an easy time dealing with that, and I'm betting most Liberian schools are not that well resourced. Not sure 'reform' will necessarily fix that.

Like Dave, I also have questions about the test. a 100% failure rate from 25,000 people just doesn't smell right.

[Doktor]

BF,

It is still 1 decade of peace. That would be entire high-school and last 5-6 years of elementary school being thought in "peace".

It is either a huge disconnection between what kids are thought and what the test has in it (my bet), or the kids are just let pass.
Reform should be made to make the transition from high-school to university more smooth of a step, not a quantum leap.

[Bigfella]

BF,

It is still 1 decade of peace. That would be entire high-school and last 5-6 years of elementary school being thought in "peace".

It is either a huge disconnection between what kids are thought and what the test has in it (my bet), or the kids are just let pass.
Reform should be made to make the transition from high-school to university more smooth of a step, not a quantum leap.

I'm guessing that even before the civil wars schools in Liberia sucked. I'm going to bet that they didn't magically revert to even their previous sucky status immediately after the war. The impact on schooling would have extended for some time - probably into High School. By that point there is a fair bit of damage done to basic language skills. Way too much 'catch up' to do. Reforms may be necessary, but I suspect lots of money for facilities & teachers would come in handy too. Even that won't undo some of what has been done.

[Doktor]

No reforms without money ;)

[Versus]

Problem with these things, the civil war, is that its destruction doesn't end with the last bullet being fired, yet it continues to destroy everything, but in a more subtle way (and far more destructive). Judging from what I see and hear, here and I doubt that it is any different in Liberia, I think that war actually isn't a situation yet it is a state of mind.

[bonehead]

BF,

It is still 1 decade of peace. That would be entire high-school and last 5-6 years of elementary school being thought in "peace".

It is either a huge disconnection between what kids are thought and what the test has in it (my bet), or the kids are just let pass.
Reform should be made to make the transition from high-school to university more smooth of a step, not a quantum leap.

In education you have to crawl before you can run. We are talking of complete generations totally not schooled, some education interrupted, and either the beginning or medium level education lost. Then there is no way you can snap your fingers and have the educational system in place.


We could send some inner city administrators in to "dummy up" the test. Those young adults will soon pass with flying colors.

[Doktor]

BH, BF,

I have no doubts the system is broken and the generations are lost, but not single one out of 25,000 candidates to pass it, shows some serious flows in the test as well.

[bonehead]

BH, BF,

I have no doubts the system is broken and the generations are lost, but not single one out of 25,000 candidates to pass it, shows some serious flows in the test as well.

We don't know enough about the test to say that with much conviction. An international board needs to get ahold of that test and compare it to similar tests across the world. It is possible the test is flawed but it is just as plausible the educational system in that country is simply in horrible shape.