The recently released results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) have been eclipsed by confusion.
The results which some candidates saw earlier have changed, a situation which has led many to conclude that the examination body’s system was hacked.
Not long after the confusion, candidates received a message from the examination body which read “one of the Council’s platforms, ERESULTS WAECGH.ORG, used for checking of results experienced a technical hitch on Friday, December 10, 2021 between 4.45pm and 6.00p.m.
“This resulted in subjects which originally had Grade B3 with the interpretation, GOOD being changed to Grade AI with the interpretation GOOD still showing, clearly indicating an error. The system has been shut down and the problem resolved.
“Members of the public are assured that our Results Database is secure and intact.
“The Council sincerely apologises to members of the public for the anxiety and inconvenience caused.”
Considering the content of the aforementioned announcement from WAEC, their system was hacked but they have fought back and restored the integrity of the Council.
Double Track
The 2021 WASSCE results was released last Wednesday for candidates who benefited from the double track system under the Free SHS initiative which has put over 1.2 million teens into secondary schools.
The double track was introduced as a temporary measure to control massive enrolment when the Free SHS, the brainchild of President Akufo-Addo, started in September 2017.
Provisional Results
WAEC in their provisional results of candidates released last week, announced that more than 50 per cent of students who sat for the WASSCE passed.
The statement by the Council signed by Head of Public Affairs, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe had said a total of 446,352 candidates, made up of 221,439, representing 49.6 per cent males and 224,913 representing 50.4 per cent females from 965 schools entered for the examination, adding “this figure is 18.8 per cent higher than the 2020 figure of 375,763.”
A total of 238,819 representing 54.08 per cent got between A1 to C6 in English, 50,255 representing 11.38 per cent got D7, 39,760 representing 9 per cent got E8, while 61, 778 representing 13.99 per cent got F9.
It further said that for Mathematics, 238,539 candidates representing 54.22 per cent got between A1to C6.
A total of 39,547 representing 8.97 per cent got D7, 45,526 representing 10.33 per cent got E8 and
88,631 representing 20.11 per cent got F9.
In Integrated Science, 289,329 representing 65.70 per cent got between Al-C6 while 66,178 representing 15.03 per cent got D7 and 41,686 representing 9.47 per cent got E8 as 20,599 representing 4.68 per cent got F9.
For Social Studies 290,545 candidates representing 66.03 per cent got Al-C6.
A total of 41,5033 candidates representing 9.43 per cent got D7, 33,671 candidates representing 7.65 per cent got E8, as 64,184 candidates representing 14.59 per cent got F9.
The provisional results indicated that there were improvements in the performance of candidates at Grades Al to C6 in Integrated Science and Social Studies in 2021 as against 2020.
On the other hand, English Language and Mathematics (Core) recorded a decline in the performance of candidates at Grades Al to C6 in 2021 as compared to 2020.
By A.R. Gomda