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The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the entire WASSCE results of 45-year-old candidate Saminatu Tarawally after she was discovered writing the school-based examination earlier this year.
Tarawally, who sat the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at Bishop Jane Middleton Senior Secondary School in Goderich, had her results for all nine subjects immediately withheld following the discovery.
The incident came to light during an unannounced inspection of the examination center by the Deputy Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Mamusu Patricia Massaquoi.
Following the inspection, WAEC acted to withhold all papers written by Tarawally, candidate number 6041645729, which included Economics, English Language, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Health Science, Science, and Physics.
In a previous statement released in May 2025, WAEC officials clarified that while the WASSCE has no official age limit, the May-June school-based WASSCE is strictly for current students who have continuous assessment scores. They asserted that candidates over 25 or those who completed their basic education long ago are ineligible for this specific exam and should register for the private November-December WASSCE instead. WAEC officially labeled the participation of a non-school-going candidate in the school-based exam as a clear examination malpractice.
Following the complete withholding of her results, Tarawally’s family has appealed directly to President Dr. Julius Maada Bio to institute a thorough and transparent investigation into WAEC’s handling of the matter.
Abubakarr Tarawally, Saminatu’s junior brother, and other family members argued that the action undermines national efforts to empower women and girls through education. They demanded an urgent and independent inquiry into the circumstances of Saminatu’s discovery and the subsequent decision to withhold all her papers.
The family specifically requested:
A formal explanation from WAEC regarding the withholding of the results.
An independent or presidentially commissioned investigation.
Assurances that adult and non-traditional candidates will be treated fairly and transparently in future examinations.
The blanket withholding of results for an adult, non-traditional candidate has raised significant questions about WAEC’s due process and clear communication, with observers expressing concern over a potential chilling effect on other adult learners seeking formal certification. The Tarawally family has signaled their readiness to pursue formal appeals if a clear explanation from WAEC is not immediately provided.
