MoE hasn’t prioritised WAEC – P. N. Kotoe says amid WASSCE debt
“This has happened in the last three, four years, and I think it’s unfortunate. We have to condemn it,” the Parliament Education Committee member said on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Monday, December 23, 2024.
Referring to past incidents, he highlighted the challenges faced during the release of the BECE results, which were resolved only after months of persistent advocacy.
“My appeal to the Ministry of Education is that they should, as a matter of urgency, release the necessary funds to WAEC. The Education Minister has not prioritised why in any form, they receive money, either monthly and orderly.
Why has the Minister not made provisions for WAEC in the regular budget allocations? Instead, we have to wait until the Committee on Education begins to make noise before funds are released,” Nortsu-Kotoe stressed.
The government official indicated that the not-for-profit-making organization (WAEC) currently requires at least 60 million Ghana cedis to continue its work, with a promised 20 million yet to be disbursed.
Reacting to the 2024 WASSCE for School results release delay, the Ranking Member accused the Ministry of Education (MoE) of holding candidates and Ghanaians “to ransom” by neglecting WAEC’s financial needs.
“It is not the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) holding anyone to ransom; it is the Ministry of Education (MoE) that is holding Ghanaians and candidates to ransom,” the Akatsi North Member of Parliament said.
Mr Nortsu-Kotoe also suggested that the lack of urgency in addressing the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) funding issues could be due to the government’s focus shifting as it nears the end of its term.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has assured the public particularly students who sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School that the Examinations Council in due course will release the 2024 WASSCE for School results.
In a social media post, a spokesman for the Education Ministry, Kwasi Kwarteng said the central government through his outfit has released GH₵25 million to facilitate the release of the 2024 examination results.
“The Ministry of Education has released an additional GH₵25 million to WAEC to support its operations and ensure the smooth and seamless continuation of marking activities.
The West African Examinations Council on August 5, 2024, commenced the administration of the 2024 edition of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates and ended it on Friday, September 20, 2024.
A total of 460,611 candidates made up of 212,954 boys and 247,657 girls, presented by 1,003 second-cycle schools participated in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination administrated at 1,000 centres across the country.
