The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has cautioned schools not to commercialize the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) registration as it opens the portal for the 2023 process to commence.

WAEC gave the warning on a press statement issued on 15 March 2023, and announced that they have opened the portal for school candidates to register, after which it will be closed on the 19th April 2023.

The Council noted that some schools had commercialized the registration process through the importation of students not enrolled since the first year of secondary schooling.

WAEC noted that the examination is available for third-year students at Senior High Schools, adding that it should be for those who enrolled in the school from SSS 1.

“The WASSCE for school candidates is a school examination and is available to students in third year of senior high school only,” the Council stated.

WAEC further warned against the examination’s rules and regulations to register students who had not enrolled in SHS from their first year through to the third year and did not have the required continuous assessment records.

The Council explained that the grades consist 70% external examination scores, that is from the public examinations and 30% internal assessment scores, that is continuous assessment grades from the candidate’s school. Both scores are combined for the final grade.

The examination body further advised that students who may transfer from one school to another must ensure that they have all the necessary documents, including evidence of their continuous assessment records.

WAEC warned that it is against the rules and regulations of the examination for schools to engage in advertising for WASSCE candidates in the media.