The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has hinted at a possible delay in releasing the 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results if the government fails to pay the remaining funds on time.

The head of public affairs for the council, John K. Kapi, who spoke on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning, spoke about the potential consequences of delayed government payments.

He highlighted that such delays could significantly affect the timely release of examination results, creating widespread disruption for students, educational institutions, and the broader academic calendar.

“So far, we are still writing the examinations. There are a lot of things that will go on after the examination before the marking and processing of results will begin. So, my belief is that by the time we start marking, looking at the process that has been started, we should be able to get the money in before the marking exercise starts.”

Despite that, the Council is making an effort to ensure the government pays the remaining money to support the timely release of the results, according to Mr Kapi.

“Whatever we received is between 60 and 65 percent. As I speak, plans are afoot for the government to release the rest of the money to us to be able to complete the process and release results at the appropriate time.”

Mr Kapi’s concerns come amidst reports that the government has been slow in disbursing funds to WAEC for the commencement of the examination.

Despite the assurances by the government about the disbursement of funds, he insists that more proactive measures be rolled out to prevent such situations from recurring. He called for a structured and reliable funding mechanism to support WAEC's operations consistently.

"We need to ensure that WAEC is adequately funded well in advance of examination periods. This will not only prevent delays but also enhance the overall quality and reliability of the examination process," he argued.