By Gibrilla Kamara
Concerns surrounding the Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS) and the Biometric Registration System (BRS) for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) came under parliamentary scrutiny on Thursday, March 5, 2026, as the Parliamentary Committee on Basic and Senior Secondary Education engaged officials of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).The engagement, which took place in Committee Room One of Parliament, focused on discrepancies in candidate data, delays in uploads, financial losses resulting from absentee candidates, and measures being introduced to protect the integrity of public examinations.Chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Rebecca Yei Sam, said recurring challenges in the WASSCE registration process were largely due to delays and inaccuracies originating from school authorities rather than the government or WAEC.She recalled previous engagements between Parliament and the Ministry, during which school heads signed undertakings to ensure the timely submission of candidate data and strict compliance with examination requirements.“For years, the government has been blamed when students fail to sit to the WASSCE,” Hon. Sam stated. “However, investigations have revealed that delays and discrepancies often originate from schools failing to submit accurate and timely information.”She further emphasized that Parliament, in collaboration with the Ministry, has been closely monitoring the uploading of CASS and BRS data to ensure that eligible candidates are not disenfranchised.Chief Whip II of Parliament, Hon. Neneh Lebbie, stressed the need for stronger implementation of laws and punitive measures to combat corruption in the education sector. She highlighted persistent concerns including discrepancies in examination results, continued allegations of corruption, and the lack of accountability among some school principals and officials.Hon. Lebbie urged both the Ministry and WAEC to provide greater clarity on examination preparations, assuring the Committee’s support for measures aimed at strengthening compliance and transparency.Also speaking during the session, Chief Whip I of Parliament, Hon. Dickson Rogers, commended the Ministry for progress made in recent years in improving examination outcomes and increasing university admission rates. However, he expressed serious concern over the high number of candidates registered for examinations who eventually fail to attend.He noted that the government continues to pay examination fees for thousands of students who do not sit the exams, resulting in significant financial losses.Providing detailed statistics during the meeting, the Deputy Chief Education Officer, Madam Momoh, revealed that in 2025 the government paid examination fees for 36,307 candidates who were absent from the WASSCE examinations. This resulted in financial losses amounting to over NLe 21.9 million.She further disclosed that for the 2026 examination cycle, a total of 267,730 candidates were initially submitted by 1,045 schools. After verification, 223,465 candidates were cleared based on the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) eligibility requirements under the Education Act of 2023.However, following further uploads and adjustments, the final BRS figure stood at 203,287 candidates, creating a variance of 39,290 candidates compared to the initially cleared list. The potential financial exposure for 2026 is estimated at over NLe 23.7 million.Madam Momoh also noted that districts including Western Rural, Western Urban, Kenema, and Port Loko recorded sharp increases in uploaded candidate numbers, raising concerns about data integrity and adherence to verification procedures.To address the problem, she explained that the Ministry has introduced a formal undertaking requiring school heads to accept financial responsibility for candidates uploaded but absent from the examinations.Meanwhile, the Head of WAEC’s National Office for WASSCE, Madam Matilda Jusu, informed the Committee that registration for the 2026 WASSCE closed on February 28 with a total of 203,287 candidates from 1,043 schools, representing a 37 percent increase compared to 2025.Of this number, 191,169 candidates are from government and government-assisted schools, while 22,118 candidates are from private institutions.While acknowledging improved collaboration with the Ministry, Madam Jusu cited several operational challenges, including late submission of cleared candidate lists, examination malpractice facilitated by some supervisors, and delays in the payment of examination fees by the government.The 2026 WASSCE examinations are scheduled to run from April 21 to June 11, while the National Primary School Examination (NPSE) is set for May 2, 2026.