Cross River Suspends 31 Principals for Alleged WAEC Exams Racketeering

Cross River State Government has taken action against alleged malpractices in the administration of the 2024 West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams, suspending 31 principals from public secondary schools. The decision follows accusations of exams racketeering and tampering with student lists, purportedly to embezzle funds allocated for the exams.

According to reports, an investigation was prompted by rumors of inflated student lists for the WAEC exams. Governor Bassey Otu had previously announced free WAEC exam registration for all indigenous and resident Senior Secondary School (SSS 3) students in public schools. However, it was alleged that some officials colluded with principals to register non-indigenous and non-resident students, leading to suspicions of misconduct.

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In response, the State Government established a Disciplinary Committee, which found 31 principals guilty of wrongdoing and subsequently suspended them. Stephen Odey, the Commissioner for Education, clarified during a press conference in Calabar that not all student lists submitted by public school principals were deemed fraudulent, and investigations are ongoing.

Odey emphasized the government's commitment to ensuring due diligence in student registration for exams, despite resource challenges faced by the state. He announced plans to recruit 6,000 teachers to address shortages in the education sector and pledged to crackdown on illegal schools lacking the capacity to operate.

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The Commissioner's mission is to identify and address challenges within the education sector, offering solutions to improve its efficacy.