Court rejects WAEC’s bid to delay withheld WASSCE results release

The Accra High Court has dismissed an application by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) seeking to delay the delay withheld WASSCE for School results of students who sat for the Ghana version of the International examination in 2024.

Presiding judge Justice Ali Baba Abature, during a hearing on February 20, 2025, dismissed WAEC’s request for a stay of execution, ruling that the examination body failed to provide sufficient justification for withholding the results.

The Court upheld its earlier stance that WAEC’s justification was ambiguous and inconsistent, further stating that keeping the WASSCE results indefinitely could hinder the academic and professional progress of the students.

According to a Daily Graphic post sighted by Pretertiary.com, the Court also imposed a GH₵5,000 fine on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) responsible for the conduct of national and international examinations in the country.

This comes after WAEC late December 2024 said it had withheld the 2024 WASSSCE for School results of approximately 10,000 candidates across multiple subjects, citing alleged examination malpractices and irregularities.

WAEC earlier explained that the delay in releasing the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School results is to ensure a thorough and fair process to uphold the integrity of the examinations.

In an interview monitored by Pretertiary.com, WAEC’s spokesman, John Kapi said his outfit remains committed to a credible examination process, stressing that the delay is necessary to ensure that only deserving candidates receive their grades.

“We need to sit down and probably bring on board a number of stakeholders to decide on this issue so that we are awarding grades to people who deserve them,” the Head of Public Relations of the Council told Accra-based Citi FM.

However, following legal action by four students representing all affected candidates, the court ruled on January 30, 2025, that not-for-profit-making organization must release the results without any prejudicial footnotes.

A total number of 460,611 candidates made up of 212,954 males and 247,657 females from 1003 second cycle schools across the country sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School.

The entry figure of students who participated in this year’s WASSCE for School is 2.66% higher than the 2023 entry figure of 448,674. A total number of 4,609 {1.0%) were absent from the Ghana version of the international examination.

Meanwhile, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has scheduled February 28, 2025, as the deadline to release the withheld WASSCE School results of students who sat for the 2024 edition of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

Speaking at a press conference, the Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, John Kapi said it is working to finalize investigations into alleged malpractice and irregularities in the 2024 WASSCE for School Candidates.

The spokesperson at the press conference at WAEC’s head office in Accra on Friday, February 7, 2025, gave assurance that the not-for-profit organization is committed to due process and transparency in handling the matter.

“The Council has continued its hearing for the affected candidates and has been releasing results as appropriate. The Council wishes to assure all stakeholders that all cases of malpractices will be finalized and also results released by February 28,” Kapi stated.