The West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 131 students, mostly from Kollenten Senior Secondary School in Kambia district, who recently took the West Africa Senior Secondary School Examination (WASSCE). This information was made known to this medium by the Deputy Director of Education for Kambia district, Konkay Alpha Sesay, following the release of the latest WASSCE result by WAEC.
It was also confirmed by the Public Relations Officer at WAEC, Sallieu Kamara, during an investigative trip by this press. Thousands of similar results from different senior secondary schools across the country are also believed to be have been withheld by the exams governing council without any explanations from the relevant authorities like the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and WAEC. However, this press tried several times to get an explanation from senior WAEC officials that proved futile.
While updating the press about how the district performed in last year’s WASSCE exams, the Kambia district Deputy Director of Education, Konkay Alpha Sesay, said a total of 26 senior secondary schools took part in the national exams, with an estimated total of 37,600 students.
According to the senior District Education Officer, out of the estimated total of students that took the examination, 1,500 of them were able to pass with five subject credits, with 84 of them acquiring university requirements. However, he noted that up to 131 results from the district were withheld by the exams body without giving reasons to students and their families for such action.
According to him, this situation has caused some serious concerns among the students and their families with regards to continuing their education, adding that most of the affected students are now calling on the government and other stakeholders to intervene so that they would not end up as dropout students. He also revealed that they made many attempt to contact WAEC for an explanation, ‘but the officers are dragging their feet on the matter’.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer, WAEC, Sallieu Kamara, has in a short discussion with this press promised that the Exams Officer at WAEC will soon come out with the actual number of results being withheld across the country, and the reason/s for taking such an action.