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Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Conrad Sackey has clarified the circumstances surrounding the 1,927 NPSE results withheld following the release of the 2026 examination results, stressing that the figure does not represent the number of candidates involved in examination malpractice.
Speaking during a Special Civic Town Hall Event held at the Miatta Civic Conference Centre in Freetown on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the Minister said approximately 1,640 of the withheld results were not linked to malpractice but were set aside because the candidates’ schools had failed to submit their required Continuous Assessment Cards.
According to Sackey, only 326 candidates, representing approximately 0.2 per cent of the more than 161,000 candidates who sat the examination, were associated with allegations of examination malpractice.
He said the clarification was necessary because of public misunderstanding surrounding the 1,927 withheld results.
“Certain people do not understand that the 1,927 candidates are not all suspected of examination malpractice,” the Minister explained, noting that the actual malpractice cases account for a much smaller proportion of candidates.
Sackey also disclosed that more than 5,123 candidates scored 300 and above in this year’s examination, describing the overall performance as encouraging.
He said the decision to withhold some results was partly intended to protect candidates who could potentially benefit from their Continuous Assessment scores when competing for admission to Grade A schools.
Using an example, he explained that a candidate who scores 298 could potentially reach a 300-point admission threshold after the 10 percent Continuous Assessment component is added.
The Minister also cited outstanding payments owed to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) by some schools as another factor considered in the handling of the affected results.
Sackey said the Ministry would continue to address the challenges within the examination system while protecting the interests and educational opportunities of pupils.
