The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has expressed concern over delays in releasing the results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), attributing the situation to financial difficulties.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, December 19, John Kapi, WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, revealed that unresolved financial obligations have hindered the maintenance of essential equipment required for processing the examination results.
Mr. Kapi disclosed that key equipment, including specialised scanners used for grading objective tests, is in urgent need of repair. However, technicians responsible for servicing these machines have halted their work due to unpaid fees totaling GH₵25 million.
“We needed to repair our scanners because we owe the technicians GH¢25 million and they have withdrawn their services until we make some financial commitments. Private schools pay their fees but the government pays for candidates in public schools, and so until the monies are paid, we are unable to release the results,” he said.
This financial strain has been compounded by the government’s delay in paying examination fees for candidates from public schools. In light of this, the Minority in Parliament has called for the Finance and Education Ministers to appear before the House to provide clarity on the government’s outstanding debt to WAEC.
