The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has cautioned schools not to commercialise the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) registration as it opens the portal for the 2023 process to commence.

The Head of Public Affairs, WAEC, Mrs Agnes Teye-Cudjoe gave the warning when she announced that the council had opened its portal for 2023 WASSCE registration.

The portal would be closed on April 19, 2023.

Speaking to journalists in Accra, Mrs Teye-Cudjoe said the approved WAEC registration fee for entry in seven or eight subjects was GHC381.24

“This figure is exclusive of the fees for practical or oral tests which range between GHC14.50 and GHC19.50 per practical test.”

The council has noted that some schools had commercialised the registration process and put out banners enticing prospective candidates to register for examinations in their schools with the promise of obtaining good grades.

It noted that some of these schools were charging between GHC1,200 and GHC6,750.

Mrs Teye-Cudjoe said this year’s WASSCE would be conducted from Monday, July 31 to Tuesday, September 26.

She advised candidates to contact their schools or visit the WAEC website for the accurate timetable and to refrain from downloading timetables from unverifiable websites.

Touching on eligibility, Mrs Teye-Cudjoe said the examination was available for third-year students at Senior High Schools, adding that it was against the rules and regulations of the examination to register ‘remedial’ students who have previously written the WASSCE and joined some private schools in form three for examination purposes only.

“Such students are being advised to register for the WASSCE for Private Candidates which has been specifically designed for remedial students and offers them the opportunity to register for the number of subjects they wish to take,” she said.

Mrs Teye-Cudjoe emphasised that it was against the examination's rules and regulations to register students who had not enrolled in SHS from their first year through to the third year and did not have the required continuous assessment records.

“The grading for the WASSCE is 70 percent external examination score and 30 percent continuous assessment score. Students who for one reason or the other transferred from one school to the other school should have evidence of the necessary continuous assessment records,” she added.

She said the Council had held briefing sessions nationwide for authorities of 978 schools who are expected to present candidates for the examination.

The Head of Public Affairs, WAEC urged school authorities to correct the spellings and arrange names in the right order.

They should confirm the dates of birth of candidates before the finalization of the registration process, capture candidates' photographs showing his or her face without sunglasses or spectacles and both ears, as well as the registration of candidates for the right subjects.

Mrs Teye-Cudjoe stated that the Council would make test accommodation arrangements for candidates who could not be assessed by the standard procedures set out because of disability or special educational needs.

She said the request for access arrangements for special needs candidates with accompanying medical reports should be forwarded to the Council by Tuesday, May 2, 2023.

Mrs Teye-Cudjoe said the Council inspected schools that requested accreditation to enable them to present candidates for the examination.

Meanwhile, Mrs Teye-Cudjoe said this year’s BECE would be conducted from Monday, August 7, to Friday, August 11.

She indicated that the Council would hold briefing sessions for all stakeholders who would be involved in the registration of candidates from Tuesday, March 21 to Friday, March 24, 2023.

The Head of Public Affairs, WAEC added that the registration portal for the registration of eligible candidates would be opened from Monday, March 27 to Friday, April 28, 2023.

She appealed to all candidates to ensure that their bio data was captured accurately and that they were registered for the correct subjects.

Mrs Teye-Cudjoe urged school authorities to ensure that they register candidates for the correct Ghanaian Language and Basic Design Technology options.

She cautioned Heads of Schools against the registration of unqualified candidates saying the practice could lead to “nullification of a candidate’s results.”

Mrs Teye-Cudjoe urged all stakeholders to ensure smooth registration of eligible candidates for this year’s WAEC examinations.