West African Examination Council (WAEC) has said that the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will be given to school candidates from Monday, July 31 to Friday, September 26, 2023.
Also, from Monday, August 7, to Friday, August 11, 2023, the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will be administered simultaneously to candidates from schools and the general public.
In comparison to the timetable for 2022, the dates for the two exit exams for junior high school (JHS) and senior high school (SHS) final-year students have been advanced by one month.
The BECE was administered from October 17 to October 21, while the WASSCE was held from Monday, August 1 to Tuesday, September 27, 2022.
Yesterday in Accra, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, the head of public affairs for WAEC, told the media that only Ghanaian candidates would be able to take the WASSCE.
Exit exams
The WASSCE is taken by final-year students in SHSs as their exit exam, and successful scores allow them to continue their education beyond high school.
Private candidates often write their examinations from October to December, hence the term “Nov/Dec,” whereas school pupils take the exam from July to September.
The BECE, on the other hand, is the final exam for JHS students. After passing, these students can choose to enrol in a secondary school, a technical and vocational education training centre (TVET), or a trade school, based on their interests. Following the COVID-19 epidemic, which forced the government to close down schools and other public gatherings in an effort to stop the disease’s spread, the timetable for these two exams was thrown off in 2020.
About Registration
The gateway for registering eligible candidates for the WASSCE for school candidates has begun, according to Mrs. Teye-Cudjoe, and it will close on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.
She stated that the council had held briefing sessions across the country for the 978 school administrations who were anticipated to present candidates for the exam. It was emphasised during the briefing sessions that school administrations should pay attention to the requirements during the registration process.
“These are the names spelt correctly and in the proper order, i.e., surname, first name, and other names; for example, Yeboah Daniel Kwabena. Before completing the registration process, candidates must confirm their date of birth. Moreover, candidates’ pictures must accurately capture their appearances, showing both ears and their faces without sunglasses or eyeglasses. Applicants are asked to make sure that their bio-data is accurately entered because after the announcement of the final results and the production of certificates, no changes to the date of birth or additions or deletions of names will be accepted. Requests for access arrangements for special needs candidates, with accompanying medical reports, should be forwarded to the council by Tuesday, May 2, 2023. The council will make test accommodations arrangements for candidates who cannot be assessed by the standard procedures set out because of disability or special educational needs”. she said.
Illegalities
Regarding eligibility, she asserted that it was against the examination’s norms and regulations for institutions to recruit candidates or promote the exam in any way, including through print, electronic, or social media.
Additionally, she added, it was illegal to register pupils who had not attended SHS from their first to third year and who had the necessary continuous evaluation records.
“The WASSCE SC is graded using a 70% external examination score and a 30% continuous assessment score. Pupils who switched schools for any reason should have proof of the essential continuous evaluation records, according to her.
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We have received intelligence reports of some students in public schools who move from their schools to private schools to register for the examination because of assurances of receiving good grades by those schools, said Mrs. Teye-Cudjoe, adding that it was also unlawful to register students who were not in their final year or who were not legitimate students of the school in question. She reiterated that it was against the law to register “remedial” students who had already taken the WASSCE SC in form three at some public or accredited private schools for the sole purpose of taking exams, and that such students were being encouraged to sign up for the WASSCE for private candidates.
The WAEC Head of Public Affairs notified the public that the authorised registration price was GH381.24 for entry in seven or eight topics, exclusive of the fees for practical or oral tests, which ranged between GH14.50 and GH19.50 per practical test. She stated that the public should be aware of the penalties for registering non-school or unqualified candidates for school candidates’ examinations as well as for fabricating and/or falsifying continuous assessment scores for candidates. These penalties include de-recognition of the affected school for at least one year, a report to the Ministry of Education or the appropriate WAEC Board for disciplinary action against the responsible person(s), and withholding of the entire results. She issued a warning to schools to stop commercialising the exams by promising good grades in advertisements and by charging unreasonable fees.
BECE 2023
She stated that the BECE registration portal for eligible candidates would be open from Monday, March 27 to Friday, April 28, 2023, and that the council will organise briefing sessions for all stakeholders who will be participating in the registration of candidates from March 21 to 24, 2023.
“As was previously said, it is crucial for all applicants to make sure their biodata are appropriately recorded and that they are registered for the proper topics. School administrators are urged to make sure that candidates are registered for the appropriate Basic Design Technologies and Ghanaian Language courses. As with the WASSCE (SC), access arrangements will be made for candidates with special educational needs,” she said.
Updated laws
The rules and guidelines for handling cases of irregularity in the council’s examinations for both examinations have been revised, according to Mrs. Teye-Cudjoe, and now cover things like destroying exhibits, posting live questions online, denying timely access to the school’s grounds, and the misconduct of examination officials.
“The heads of schools are advised to make their candidates aware of the amended guidelines, which are posted on the council’s website.
“The council will be launching a statewide sensitization exercise to establish the needed awareness in order to ensure that schools and candidates become familiar with the amended guidelines,” she continued.
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