Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, appeared before Parliament on Thursday to address the growing crisis surrounding the exclusion of hundreds of students from the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The Minister was summoned amid national concern over the significant number of students unable to register for the crucial examinations, a situation widely viewed as detrimental to the nation’s educational progress.

Minister Sackey emphasized the implications of the exclusions for quality assurance within Sierra Leone’s education system. He clarified that while WASSCE is governed by regional standards, Sierra Leone typically has some flexibility regarding registration deadlines. However, despite repeated appeals to the West African Examination Council (WAEC), the Ministry’s requests to extend the registration period were unsuccessful.

The Minister attributed the crisis to administrative failures within a number of schools. He reported that while 892 schools met the Ministry’s deadline for uploading student information, 82 schools failed to do so. Additionally, several schools allegedly submitted the names of unqualified students, with many presenting falsified Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results.

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“Some school heads deliberately ignored the Ministry’s clear directives, contributing directly to the current crisis,” Minister Sackey stated, presenting statistical data to support his claims. He further noted that schools in Freetown were among those implicated in malpractice.

In response to the situation, the Ministry is actively engaging with WAEC to explore the possibility of reopening the registration portal. Consultations are also underway with the High Commissions of Gambia and Nigeria to seek potential support for the affected students.

“As a remedial measure, the government has committed to funding private WASSCE exams for eligible candidates who were excluded due to administrative lapses,” the Minister announced.

During the parliamentary debate, Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara expressed his disappointment, cautioning that the crisis could erode parental trust and negatively impact student morale. He questioned the level of confidence school leaders had in the Ministry’s leadership. In contrast, Hon. Alpha Fode Madie Jabbie defended the Ministry’s efforts and urged for concrete evidence before any accusations of negligence were made.

Opposition Deputy Leader 1, Hon. Daniel Koroma, called on the government to take swift action to protect student welfare, highlighting institutional weaknesses that contributed to the problem. Acting Leader of Government Business, Hon. Bashiru Silikie, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the education sector and tackling the existing challenges head-on.

In his concluding remarks, Minister Sackey advocated for the introduction of a unique learner identity system to improve the accuracy of student tracking in the future. He also suggested upcoming legislative proposals aimed at enhancing oversight and accountability within the education system.