As 200,000 Students Prepare for WASSCE Exams… Parliamentary Committee Flags Irregularities In Examination System

By JKM

As more than 200,000 students across Sierra Leone prepare to sit their public examinations, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education has revealed that over 28,000 teachers have recently been trained in modern foundational learning techniques aimed at improving the quality of education and strengthening students’ performance in national exams.

The disclosure was made during an engagement between the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Basic and Senior Secondary Education, officials of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Parliament.

The meeting, which focused on the country’s preparedness for the upcoming examinations, also highlighted a number of challenges within the system, including examination malpractice, irregular student data uploads, and excessive fees charged by some private schools.

Chairperson of the committee, Hon. Rebecca Yei Sam, warned that while thousands of teachers are being equipped with new teaching skills, the credibility of the examination system must also be protected.

She emphasized the importance of Members of Parliament maintaining strong engagement with communities and schools, noting that such interactions help reassure constituents that their concerns are being addressed.

According to Hon. Sam, members of the committee recently conducted visits to several schools, particularly in Western Urban District and Western Rural District, where they discovered that many institutions were lagging behind in uploading candidate data required for the examinations.

She disclosed that in some areas only 28 schools had completed the mandatory data uploads at the time of the committee’s visit, a situation she described as alarming. She cautioned that the rush by some schools to meet submission deadlines could result in inaccurate or incomplete entries.

The committee chair further stressed that government should not be spending public funds on examination fees for candidates whose details were improperly uploaded into the system.

Hon. Sam also raised concerns about possible examination leakages, explaining that when candidates across different centres produce identical answers, it raises suspicion that some may have had prior access to examination questions.

“These practices undermine the credibility of the education system and compromise the quality of learning,” she stated.

She called for stronger monitoring of examination centres and the accreditation of authorised monitors, noting reports that some individuals have gained access to examination halls using unofficial badges.

Another issue discussed during the meeting was the requirement for candidates to obtain a National Identification Number (NIN). Committee members questioned why some pupils still lack the identification numbers, despite efforts to introduce the system in schools, noting that it could help track students and prevent duplicate registrations.

Lawmakers also raised concerns about discrepancies between Continuous Assessment Scores (CAS) submitted by schools and the number of candidates who actually sit the examinations, warning that such inconsistencies could indicate attempts to manipulate the system.

The committee further criticised some private schools for imposing excessive charges on students under the guise of examination payments.

In one case cited during the meeting, a school reportedly registered 179 candidates for an examination but only 82 were present during verification, raising serious concerns about the accuracy of the data submitted. Pupils reportedly told lawmakers they were paying as much as five million Leones in combined fees.

Responding to the concerns, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, acknowledged the challenges but assured the committee that reforms are underway to address them.

He explained that government efforts to clean up the examination system have already identified thousands of duplicate candidate entries that could have cost the state millions of dollars if left unchecked.

The minister noted that the training of more than 28,000 teachers forms part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening foundational learning, improving literacy outcomes, and ensuring that students are better prepared for national examinations.

Officials from WAEC also addressed the committee, explaining that while examination leakages are rare, one of the major challenges arises when candidates photograph question papers during exams and share them through mobile phones.

WAEC disclosed that new measures, including serialized examination papers and plans for computer-based testing, are being introduced to reduce malpractice and strengthen the integrity of the examination process.

The Parliamentary Oversight Committee concluded the session by assuring stakeholders that it will continue working closely with the ministry and examination authorities to improve transparency, accountability, and quality within the education sector, as thousands of students prepare to sit their exams.