Liberia's education minister says she finds it hard to believe that not a single candidate passed this year's university admission exam.利比里亚教育部长说，她简直不敢相信，今年参加该国大学入学考试的考生中竟然无人通过考试。
Nearly 25,000 school-leavers failed the test for admission to the University of Liberia, one of two state-run universities.
近2.5万高中毕业生没有通过利比里亚大学入学考试，这个国家仅有两所国立大学，该大学是其中一所。
The students lacked enthusiasm and did not have a basic grasp of English, a university official told the BBC.
学校官员告诉英国广播公司，现在的学生没有学习热情，英语基础也很差。
Liberia is recovering from a brutal civil war that ended a decade ago.
虽然残酷的利比里亚内战早在十年前结束，但国家还未完全走出战争创伤。
'Dreams shattered'
“梦想破灭”
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel peace laureate, recently acknowledged that the education system was still in a "in a mess", and much needed to be done to improve it.
利比里亚总理、诺贝尔和平奖得主埃伦·约翰逊·瑟利夫最近承认，该国教育系统“混乱糟糕”，急需采取措施加以改进。
Many schools lack basic education material and teachers are poorly qualified, reports the BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh reports from the capital, Monrovia.
来自利比里亚首都蒙罗维亚的BBC记者乔森纳·佩耶·雷报道说，许多学校缺乏基本教学设施，师资质量低下。
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.
报道还称，学生缴纳25美元参加考试却无一通过的现象还是首次出现。
It means that the overcrowded university will not have any new first-year students when it reopens next month for the academic year.
这意味着等到下月新学期开始时，本来人多拥挤的利比里亚大学会招收任何大一新生。
Students told him the result was unbelievable and their dreams had been shattered, our reporter says.
记者报道说，学生告诉他这个结果难以置信，他们的梦想就这样破碎了。
Education Minister Etmonia David-Tarpeh told the BBC Focus on Africa programme that she intended to meet university officials to discuss the failure rate.
教育部长安特蒙尼亚·大卫·塔普告诉BBC《聚焦非洲》节目，她准备会见大学官员，商讨这次不及格率。
"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."
安特蒙尼亚·大卫·塔普说：“我知道现在学校里还有许多薄弱环节，但一群人参加考试却无人通过，这个就让人心存疑虑了。这一做法就像是大规模杀戮。”
Ms David-Tarpeh said she knew some of the students and the schools they attended.
大卫·塔普女士称她了解一些学生和他们的就读学校。
"These are not just schools that will give people grades. I'd really like to see the results of the students," she added.
她还说：“学校并不能完全代表学生的水平，我很希望看到学生个人的表现。”
University spokesman Momodu Getaweh told BBC Focus on Africa that the university stood by its decision, and it would not be swayed by "emotion".
大学发言人莫默渡·盖特威告诉BBC《聚焦非洲》记者，该大学不会改变其决定，也不会“感情用事”。
"In English, the mechanics of the language, they didn't know anything about it. So the government has to do something," he said.
他说：“英语是语言的中心重点，但他们却对其一无所知。所以政府得出面做点什么了。”
"The war has ended 10 years ago now. We have to put that behind us and become realistic."
“战争十年前就结束了，现在该放下过去，直面客观现实。”
【知识拓展】：
1.President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf：埃伦·约翰逊-瑟利夫 (Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf) ，2006年1月16日当选利比里亚总统，成为非洲历史上首位女总统。2011年10月7日，瑟利夫与活动家莱伊曼-古博薇及也门活动家塔瓦库尔·卡曼因维护妇女权益共同获得2011年度诺贝尔和平奖。
2.Monrovia：蒙罗维亚（Monrovia）是利比里亚首都，蒙特塞拉多州首府。位于非洲西部大西洋沿岸梅苏拉多角和布什罗德岛上。据守圣保罗河入海口，是西非重要的出海门户，非洲距南美大陆最近的港口城市。
