WAEC asked to end probe before withheld WASSCE results release

Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to complete investigations into alleged malpractices in the 2024 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination before it releases withheld WASSCE results.

“WAEC should be firm. Don’t release results until investigations into prima facie collusion and cheating allegations at WASSCE are completed,” the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare said in a Facebook post.

This comes after an Accra High Court dismissed the not-for-money-making organization (WAEC) application for a stay of execution against an earlier order to release the withheld WASSCE for School results on January 30, 2025.

The Daily Graphic in a report said Justice Ali Baba Abature, during a hearing on February 20, 2025, ruled that the West African Examinations Council failed to provide sufficient justification for withholding the 2024 WASSCE for School results.

In an interview, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, Martin Kpebu, threatened to secure a contempt of court order against the Examinations Council if it invites them.

“WAEC doesn’t have jurisdiction to invite my clients again because we’ve gone to court and a court order has been issued so WAEC can’t continue. I understand WAEC continues to invite candidates to come.

My candidates are not part. If WAEC invites any of my clients, we will be compelled to secure a contempt against WAEC because a court order has been made and the judge has held that WAEC has no case and so release the results so WAEC cannot invite my clients again,” he said in an interview with JoyNews.

Relatedly, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced plans to appeal a stay of execution on a court ruling that ordered the release of withheld West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results.

Speaking in an interview monitored by Pretertiary.com, WAEC’s Head of Legal Affairs, Rev. Victor Brew, assured that the withheld results would still be released on February 28, except for those directly involved in the ongoing legal proceedings.

“We are going to repeat the stay of execution application at the court of appeal in line with what is established procedure in court matters

As for 28th [February], it is for the generality of all outstanding results and just to clarify these are just a portion of all the outstanding results. So even as these 10,000 candidates went to court, we are still working and so the 28th is a date to say that all results finally would have been worked on

Those that are exonerated, they would have their results uncanceled. Those that will be found culpable will have their results cancelled. Perhaps the only group of people will be those students who took us to court, and we have to respect the court procedure,” the WAEC official told Citi News.

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.