The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has explained the delay in marking the 2024 Basic Examination Certificate Examination (BECE).

The Council attributed it to the fact that many of the personnel assigned to mark the BECE are currently engaged in invigilating the ongoing West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The Minority in Parliament last week at a news conference blamed government indebtedness to the examination body for the delay.

Head of public affairs with WAEC, John, clarified in an interview with JoyNews that while there have been allegations of government indebtedness causing the delay, the government has made financial commitments to address this issue.

"The delay is not due to financial constraints," Kapi said. "The overlap between the completion of the BECE and the start of the WASSCE has meant that the same personnel are required for both tasks. These staff members, who are currently invigilating the WASSCE, were also scheduled to mark the BECE."

Mr Kapi added that the post-examination activities are underway and that the marking process will soon begin. "We are coordinating the marking schedule, and by September 17, we expect to commence the actual marking process," he stated.

Although there are still some outstanding payments, Mr Kapi emphasized that this is not the primary cause of the delay.

"The reason for the delay is not about money but rather about the availability of the personnel needed for the marking," he explained.

He also reassured that the government is addressing the financial matters. “Last Thursday, our Director of Finance went to the ministry to collect a check for the BECE marking. We are also expecting two additional checks for the WASSCE,” he said, though he could not confirm whether these checks had been received.

 Meanwhile, the ongoing West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination is characterised by absenteeism in some senior high schools in the Ashanti region.   At the Kumasi High School and Serwaa Nyarko Girls SHS, five and three candidates have respectively absented themselves from the exams.   It is unclear why the students have failed to report to the exams, as authorities are yet to reach out on the candidates.

Mr Opoku Amin, the assistant headmaster in charge of academics at Kumasi High School, reported that while five students were absent yesterday, no new absences were recorded today. “Two of the absent students have traveled, but we are still trying to determine why the other three are missing,” he  said.

Similarly, at Serwaa Nyarko SHS, three out of 792 registered candidates missed their first core subject. Reverend Richard Benson, the assistant headmaster, noted that efforts to contact the absent students have been unsuccessful. “Three students are absent. One has traveled, but we do not know the reasons for the other two,” Benson reported.

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Ashanti Regional Coordinator of the Free SHS program, Owusu Brobbey, expressed confidence that the students are well-prepared due to government initiatives. “We believe the students are well-prepared through these programs, and we hope for strong performances this year,” he said.