FSLC 2020: 93,500 Candidates Sit For The Exam Nationwide

By Shing Timothy M

93, 500 pupils across the national territory have rounded off the written part of the 2020 session of the First School Leaving Certificate -FSLC Examinations, this July 21, 2020.

On the first day of the examination, the candidates were tested in Mathematics, English Language and Information Communication Technology.

Unlike in previous occasions, this year’s examination will not have sporting activities because of fears of the novel coronavirus.

The examination this year was particularly different given the presence of the coronavirus pandemic in the country and the Anglophone crisis in the North Wes and Southwest regions in particular.

However, school authorities across the board enforced safety measures in order to protect the candidates from contracting the deadly virus.

In most towns and cities in the conflict wrecked North West and Southwest regions, most examination centres were congregated into few writing centre in order to ensure the safety of pupils and their teachers, this is because teachers, pupils and students have been the unfortunate victims of separatists attacks, given their push for a boycott of school in the country.

Classrooms across the country were arranged to take a maximum of 25 pupils per class as required by authorities.

All the pupils had their masks on while authorities at the centre also brought in masks which were distributed to those who did not have.

“I have been preparing very well for the exams and I am happy that I wrote very well and I know I will be successfully the same way I did in the Common Entrance,” Beltin Nono, a Class Six pupil said with enthusiasm after the exams.

The First School Leaving Certificate also went on hitch free in other parts of the country, notably in most parts of the North West and Southwest Regions where candidates braved the odds to sit in for the exams.

At the Government Primary School, GMI Bamenda, pupils turned out in their numbers to sit in for the exams.

Special COVID-19 barrier measures were equally taken to ensure the exams go on smoothly as the centre put masks, at the disposal of pupils while hand washing points and sanitizers were equally available at the entrance of each exam hall.

Amongst the almost one hundred thousand pupils who sat for the exams are some with special needs. Some special candidates are visually and intellectually impaired.

One of such centres according to the CRTV was the Mimboman Special Centre where fourteen candidates with various forms of disabilities sat for the end-of-course examinations.

The exam ended on Wednesday July 22, 2020 across the national territory. Other end-of-course examinations that also started on the same day were the practical session of the GCE, as well as the end-of-course examination for class six pupils in the French sub system of education.

The results of the examination will be released immediately after the marking and evaluation is over in early August.

Unfortunately, some sub divisions did not see even one student sit for the examination in the two conflicts disturbed regions. One of such was Bafut where its own 60 pupils who sat in for the exams in Bamenda.

The Inspector of Basic Education, Christina Nkwain who was at the centre to ensure the exercise is going on smoothly appreciated the pupils for braving the odds to fight for a better future.

She said most of them had their academic year perturbed due to the social unrest in their localities but had private classes at home before coming to sit in for the exams.