1 Comment 
Over 5,000 candidates missed their entire subjects for the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), Sierra Leone’s Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) has revealed.
Despite a near-record pass rate for those who sat the 2025 BECE, this absenteeism rate has shadowed the otherwise successful 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
According to the results announcement released by the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), a total of 5,570 candidates, representing 4.3% of the initial number of registered candidates, were recorded as absent for all subjects.
This figure is alarming, considering the significant investment made by the government, schools, and families into basic education.
The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Conrad Sackey explicitly stated that He is aware of the situation, acknowledging that high absenteeism is a pressing issue.
He added that “action has been started that we are sure will result in a significant reduction in the number of absences next year.”
Meanwhile, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the entire results of over 2,500 candidates who sat the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), citing various malpractices and administrative failures.
According to the results announcement released by the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), these candidates are among the 129,260 who registered for the exam. The most severe category involves 1,673 candidates who had their entire results withheld.
The main reason for the absenteeism is because the school heads are given figures that are not in the class rooms. The school supervisors and the school heads are collaborating to check on the government all in name of brown envelope. The best way to put a stop to the ongoing racketeering is for the government to stop paying for public examinations. Once the government resort to that , there will no longer be absentees in those public examinations.