The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) has expressed concern over the sluggish progress in uploading Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS) for Senior Secondary School Year One (SSS1) candidates onto the West African Examination Council (WAEC) portal.

These students are the current cohort set to sit the 2025 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Deputy Minister of Education, Ms. Mamusu Massaquoi, revealed that despite a September 30, 2024, deadline for the completion of the CASS uploads, only 60 out of 784 schools had successfully uploaded their students’ scores. The delay prompted the Western Regional Secretary for the Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU), Foday Kuyateh, to call for an extension of the deadline to ensure no school or student is left behind.

The MBSSE reiterated that submitting the “CASS One” is crucial for students’ eligibility to sit for the 2025 WASSCE. Principals have been instructed to upload only vetted and ministry-approved candidates, generate the CASS report from the portal, and submit it to the ministry for verification. Schools that fail to meet these requirements or upload unapproved candidates risk penalties, including the removal of candidates’ records from WAEC’s system.

Ms. Massaquoi emphasized the importance of compliance, warning that schools failing to upload scores by the September deadline would face serious consequences. Principals facing challenges with the portal were urged to promptly report the issues to the ministry for assistance.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Hon. Alpha Fode Madie Jabbie, recommended that the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results of newly admitted SSS1 students be submitted to the ministry without delay, in a bid to avoid recurring issues in WASSCE preparations.