The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has confirmed its commitment to releasing the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results by Sunday, December 29, 2024. This announcement follows an earlier controversy surrounding remarks by the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, and a subsequent retraction by WAEC’s Director of Public Affairs, John Kapi.
In a recent interview on GHOne TV on December 26, 2024, John Kapi expressed WAEC’s determination to meet the announced deadline. He acknowledged the receipt of a GH¢35 million payment from the Ministry of Education, an amount that WAEC had previously requested to expedite the release of the results.
During the interview, Kapi apologized for his earlier use of the term “scandalous” to describe the Education Minister’s claim about the release date. On December 24, Kapi had criticized Dr. Adutwum’s statement, claiming it was “factually incorrect” and made without formal discussions or an official statement from WAEC. However, he has since clarified his remarks and confirmed WAEC’s efforts to meet the minister’s timeline.
“I think I commented on this issue last on the 24th of December. I think I used the word scandalous, and I wish to retract that word and apologize to the minister… Yes, it is true, the Director of Finance and the Head of National Office have confirmed receipt of a cheque for GH¢35 million from the Ministry of Education,” Kapi said.
Kapi reassured the public that WAEC is working tirelessly to ensure the results are released by the end of December. “We are going to see how best we can work round the clock and ensure that we are able to release the results by the end of this month,” he stated.
The initial disagreement began when Dr. Adutwum, following a visit to WAEC’s offices, assured the public that the 2024 WASSCE results would be released by December 29. During his visit, he observed ongoing operations, including scanning processes that were reportedly close to 50% completion. The minister expressed confidence that the results would be ready by the announced date, despite logistical and financial challenges that had delayed the process.
WAEC had previously attributed delays to funding constraints, with the government owing the examination body over GH¢100 million. However, the recent GH¢35 million payment has enabled WAEC to address these challenges and make significant progress in processing the results.
Dr. Adutwum, speaking to reporters after his visit, highlighted the dedication of WAEC staff who were working through the festive season to meet the deadline. He emphasized that the results would be released on or before December 29, 2024.
Asked about the government’s debts to WAEC, the minister refrained from addressing the specifics, stating, “Excuse me, you don’t have the facts.” Instead, he noted that his visit was part of his routine engagements with the examination body.
Source: GESHub.org
