Ahead of the President-elect Joseph Boakai taking seat on January 22, 2024, the regime has begun to inherit some of what is being termed unsustainable economic policies of the George Weah administration, with schools beginning to write parents to pay US$80 (eighty United States dollars) for the West African Senior School Certificate Exam (WASSCE), which had been fully taken care of by the Weah administration during the last four years.
The payment of WASSCE fees and the free tuition policy in public schools are considered President Weah’s major interventions in alleviating the hardship on senior students and their parents as well as college and university students.
However, according to information, these policies have come to an immediate end with the departure of the Weah administration, as the new administration is said to not be in the position to continue the gratis, especially when it is yet to confirm the financial burden being inherited from the out-going regime, in addition to being in the transitional period and not fully seated to make such a decision.
consequently, the Weah administration too, which initiated the policy, cannot also continue such payment because the deliberation on the passage of the 2024 national budget has been tabled until the 55th National Legislature can take seat in January, making it difficult to continue the “dig hole, cover hole” strategy to meet the financial outcry of needy students and parents at such a time.
Meanwhile, school administrators have begun receiving the feedback and, in order to put themselves in a prepared position, have begun informing students, parents and guardians to pay US$80 for the 2024 WASSCE examination.
A letter addressed to parents and guardians from Sarah Doe Memorial Academy, New Georgia Gulf community, says, “…Due to the transition of government in the Republic of Liberia, the WASSCE fees that were paid by the out-going President will not be anymore. Against the backdrop, the administration is hereby informing you to pay your child/children WASSCE fee for the 2024 examination. The WASSCE fees is USD80.00 and the deadline for this payment is on or before December 22, 2023.”
𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧
When parents contacted the administration of the school, they were told, accordingly, that the school’s administration has received information that the Boakai administration is not in the position to continue the payment of WASSCE fees; therefore, they have written them to make the payment in order for their children not forfeit sitting the exams when the time comes.
However, the school authority said, in the case where the Boakai administration sees the need to continue such an initiative, the money paid by parents will be refunded, but until then they will have to pay the fees.
This economic challenge comes at the eve of the inauguration of President-elect Boakai, and at a time the population holds high expectation that the new administration will work out modalities to relieve them from the hardship that they are undergoing.
Political pundits are beginning to wonder about the fate of the Boakai-led administration amidst the intent to cut off several of Weah administration’s economic interventions. They say, while it is too soon for some officials of the CDC to threaten mass protest, these economic burdens could trigger such actions and put the new administration under intense pressure to go beyond the extra mile in meeting the need of the people.
They argue that the new administration has to be extremely careful about how they handle the matter, as the masses will not see it from a logical position to understand that the country is still under a Weah-led administration or that the new administration is financially stranded.
They call on humanitarian groups and philanthropists to intervene before the deadlines given by the schools, in order for the Boakai administration to begin on good footing.