The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has found itself in a precarious situation, struggling to release the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results due to a staggering debt of GH₵25 million owed to technicians responsible for maintaining critical equipment.
This is not the first time WAEC has faced financial challenges, but the current situation has raised concerns about the sustainability of Ghana’s education system.
In 2022, WAEC faced a similar crisis when the government failed to provide the necessary funds to conduct the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and WASSCE. The situation was salvaged when the government eventually released the funds, but the delay had already caused significant disruptions to the examination process.
This year, the situation is more dire, with WAEC owing GH₵25 million to technicians who have suspended their services until the debt is paid.
The technicians are responsible for repairing specialized scanners that are essential for marking objective questions in the WASSCE.
Without these scanners, WAEC is unable to release the results, leaving thousands of students in limbo.
The Minority in Parliament has taken notice of the situation and is demanding that the Finance and Education Ministers appear before the House to address the government’s indebtedness to WAEC.
The Minority’s Ranking Member of the Education Committee, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, has expressed concern about the impact of the debt on education in Ghana, stating that the delay in releasing the results could prevent students from entering tertiary institutions in January 2025.
WAEC’s financial woes are not new, and the council has been struggling to cope with the challenges posed by the government’s Free Senior High School policy.
Under the policy, the government absorbs the examination fees for public school students, but the funds are often released late, causing significant delays in the examination process.
To address the situation, WAEC has appealed to the government to release the necessary funds to enable the council to complete the post-examination processes and release the results.
The council has also proposed a reform that would shift the responsibility of paying examination fees from the government to parents.
This, according to WAEC, would ensure that the council receives timely and adequate funding to conduct the examinations.
-BY Daniel Bampoe