WAEC denies claim 78% of 2024 BECE graduates had aggregate 33
The management of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has denied allegations that 78% of prospective students who sat for the 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) had an aggregate of 33 and above.
The not-for-profit-making organization (WAEC) comment comes after a viral social media post citing data from the Ghana Education Service (GES) said “78% of this year’s BECE candidates had aggregate 33 and above.”
The Head of Public Affairs at WAEC John Kapi, speaking to Dubawa, a West African independent verification and fact-checking project confirmed that the West African Examinations Council does not publish statistics regarding BECE candidates’ performance.
“Usually, we release statistics on the performance of candidates for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) because we’re able to compare their performance with that of other years.
But with the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) we have not released any statistics to indicate what percentage has passed and what percentage has failed,” John Kapi stated.
The spokesperson added that such claims can create unnecessary panic among students, parents, and educators. Students may feel demoralised or anxious about their performance, leading to stress and decreased motivation.
“Well, from where I sit, I would say that the statement is misleading because it has no basis. Nobody has been able to tell us the exact source of the statement,” the official of the West African Examinations Council told Dubawa.
The provisional results of the 2024 edition of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results was released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on Saturday October 19, 2024.
This year, a total of 569,236 candidates, comprising 282,703 males and 286,533 females from nineteen thousand, five hundred and five (19,505) participating Junior High Schools (JHSs) entered for the school examination.
This includes fifty-nine (59) candidates with visual impairment, two hundred and sixty-three (263) with hearing impairment and one hundred and sixty-one (161) candidates with other test accommodation needs.
The examination was conducted at Two thousand, one hundred and twenty-three (2,123) centres across the country. Out of the total number, three thousand, eight hundred and forty-five (3,845) candidates were absent
The BECE for Private Candidates recorded a total entry figure of one thousand, three hundred and ninety (1,390) candidates. This was made up of seven hundred and fifty (750) males and six hundred and forty (640) females
Fifteen (15) centres, mostly in the regional capitals, were used for the BECE for Private Candidates. Out of the total number of candidates who entered for the examination, fifty-seven (57) were absent.
