By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Freetown, Sierra Leone – The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, has called on schools to comply with the registration processes laid out by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
Speaking during the weekly government press briefing on Tuesday, Minister Sackey outlined the necessary steps for registering students for the upcoming WASSCE exams.
He emphasized the importance of inputting Continuous Assessment Scores (CAS 1 and CAS 2) for students before proceeding to Batch Registration. Currently, only 32% of schools have completed Batch Registration, with the Ministry’s deadline set for Friday.
Minister Sackey urged not only schools but also parents and school authorities to take an active interest and put necessary pressure on school principals to ensure timely registration. “We don’t want our kids to be left behind. I want parents to go and pressure their school leaders. I am appealing to school boards, MPs, and parents to hold their school leaders to account,” he said.
According to data from the Ministry, 163,797 candidates from 892 schools are expected to sit for the exams this year. However, 12 schools are yet to submit their Continuous Assessment Scores. Of these, four are government schools, four are private schools, and there is no record for the remaining four schools.
To facilitate the process, the Ministry has offered technical assistance to schools. Minister Sackey announced sanctions for defaulting schools, stating that principals of those schools would be suspended for six months without salary if they fail to comply. “There must be accountability,” he added.
The names of defaulting schools will be published in due course as the government strengthens the system to ensure all eligible students are registered for the WASSCE exams.
Minister Sackey’s call to action aims to ensure that no student is left behind and that all eligible candidates have the opportunity to participate in the crucial exams.