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The Minister of Basic and Secondary School Education, Conrad Sackey, has provided an update on the 2026 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) registration process during an interview on Radio Democracy.
According to the minister, three years ago, 119,000 students sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), while this year, 140,000 candidates were cleared for the WASSCE, with all 1,048 schools submitting their candidates on time.
Minister Sackey highlighted challenges in the registration process, noting that schools initially uploaded 219,000 names, including 74,000 candidates not verified by the Ministry an attempt, he said, to bypass BECE checks. After cleanup efforts with the Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union (SLTU) and the Central Placement and School Services (CPSS), 19,000 additional candidates were cleared, leaving 55,000 still unmatched.
He added that the government is willing to fund the 55,000 unverified candidates if they are found to be genuine. However, school leaders must provide a written undertaking confirming that:
1.All candidates are eligible.
2.No candidates are registered in multiple schools.
3.Steps are being taken to reduce absenteeism.
Minister Sackey warned that school heads could face termination if found guilty of dishonesty or breach of regulations.
He emphasized that absenteeism is a growing problem, citing 25,000 absentees in 2024, 35,000 in 2025, and potentially 50,000 this year. If unchecked, he warned, the number of extra candidates could reach 300,000 by 2028, coinciding with an election year.
