The government has announced that candidates who register more than once for the government-funded West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will be automatically disqualified.

Addressing Parliament, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Comrad Sackey stated that the crackdown is necessary to stop “massive corruption” and protect public funds.

Minister Sackey revealed the scale of the irregularity, noting that 124,591 candidates had used their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results multiple times to register for the WASSCE.

The government currently spends approximately $25 per candidate. Sackey confirmed that 55,174 ineligible entries have already been removed from the list submitted to the West African Examination Council (WAEC), a move that will save the state “millions of Leones.”

Related News

Seven principals have been suspended without salary for two months for extorting funds from parents. About sixty principals received one-year suspensions for failing to upload Year 1 and 2 Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS).

School heads will now be required to sign undertakings committing to prevent duplicate registrations and ensure candidates meet eligibility rules, including the minimum 2 per cent absenteeism threshold.

“Penalties for non-compliance will result in repayment of examination fees to candidates, termination of service of heads of schools, and investigation into the respective matters,” Sackey said.

Lawmakers broadly supported the reforms. Hon. Rebecca Yei Kamara, MP for Kono District and chairperson of the Committee on Basic Education, called for accountability to curb fraudulent registrations and urged MPs to raise awareness of the new requirements.

Acting opposition leader Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara of Kambia District questioned the timing of the verification process and its impact on private schools. He stressed the importance of tracking student data in Senior Secondary School years one and two to ease registration challenges at SSS 3.

Hon. Bashiru Silikie, deputy Leader of Government Business, backed the measures and called for the closure of unqualified senior secondary schools. He urged the minister to empower district monitors to enforce standards.

Sackey confirmed the registration portal will open this week and said examination costs remain fully covered by the state.

Speaker of Parliament Hon. Sengepoh Solomon Thomas said all schools must comply with the new rules and stressed adherence to legal procedures.