The Educate Africa Institute (EAI) has taken notice of the West African Examinations Council’s (WAEC) press release dated Friday, 15th August, 2025, on the release of provisional results for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School Candidates.
In the said report, WAEC announced the *cancellation of subject results of 718 candidates, entire results of 177 candidates, as well as the withholding of subject results of 1,240 candidates and entire results of 93 candidates*. Additionally, WAEC indicated that subject results of *candidates from 119 schools have been cancelled, while results of candidates from 87 schools have been withheld* for further investigations.
EAI finds this recurring practice of cancelling and withholding results as a clear indication that WAEC is failing in its supervisory and invigilation responsibilities. Candidates who sat for the BECE did not write the exams in isolation they were invigilated and supervised by individuals officially contracted and appointed by WAEC itself.
It is therefore highly unfair and unacceptable that innocent candidates are continuously punished for alleged malpractices that occurred under the direct watch of WAEC’s own agents. If irregularities were indeed detected, the invigilators, supervisors, and examination officials should be the ones questioned, sanctioned, and held responsible not the helpless candidates whose futures are now at stake.
Beyond this, EAI is of the firm view that WAEC as an institution has outlived its usefulness and must be abolished. For decades, WAEC has consistently failed to conduct examinations across West African countries namely Ghana, Nigeria, The Gambia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone without widespread reports of malpractices and irregularities. Such a bad record is dangerous to the credibility of our educational qualifications and undermines the global respect for certificates issued under WAEC’s authority. If WAEC cannot guarantee credible examinations free from malpractice, then it should give way for a more competent and transparent system.
EAI therefore demands that WAEC:
1. Immediately release all withheld and cancelled results of candidates as stated in the provisional results report of 15th August, 2025.
2. Stop sacrificing candidates’ futures due to lapses in its own systems of supervision and monitoring.
3. Take full responsibility by holding accountable the invigilators, supervisors, and examination officials who failed in their duties.
Education is a right and not a privilege. WAEC’s continuous resort to mass cancellation and withholding of results is not only unjust but also undermines confidence in Ghana’s examination system. The future of over 600,000 candidates who sat for the 2025 BECE should not be toyed with because of WAEC’s internal weaknesses.
EAI stands firm in advocating for fairness, justice, and accountability in Ghana’s educational system, and will continue to speak against systemic failures that jeopardize the dreams of young learners.
Signed:
William Boadi
Executive Director, Educate Africa Institute (EAI)
Educationist, Political Analyst & Social Worker
+233541935106
EAI: Education and Social Justice.