No special resit for late Sekondi College WASSCE candidates — WAEC

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has defended its decision to prevent 154 candidates of Sekondi College from sitting Thursday’s Chemistry theory and objective papers, insisting that examination regulations do not permit late candidates to enter the examination hall after the stipulated reporting time.

The clarification follows calls by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of Sekondi College for the affected students to be given another opportunity to write the examination. According to the PTA, the students arrived late due to heavy rainfall and were subsequently denied entry by an external invigilator.

Speaking to Citi News, WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, stressed that the examination is conducted simultaneously across countries in the West African sub-region, making strict compliance with examination rules essential to maintaining the integrity of the process.

He noted that while circumstances such as severe flooding could justify concerns in some instances, preliminary reports received by WAEC indicated that the affected students were already on campus and did not have to travel long distances to access the examination hall.

“The information reaching us indicates that some were at the ICT lab, some were in the classroom, some were in the dormitories; they didn’t have to travel any distance to get to the examination hall.

“And mind you, there were others who were in there already and were writing, according to the report that we received. So, obviously, something may have gone wrong to make some of them not want to get into the examination hall early enough to start the exam.”

Mr. Kapi indicated that the affected candidates would not be granted a special opportunity to rewrite the paper and would instead have to wait for the next examination cycle.

“They will only have a chance to rewrite in another cycle of examination. So, for example, if we are going to conduct a NOV/DEC this year, they are at liberty to register and write,” he stated.

The incident has generated debate among parents and education stakeholders, with some calling for leniency in light of the circumstances surrounding the candidates’ lateness.