The Conference of Heads of Private Second-Cycle Schools (CHOPSS) has raised serious concerns over the delay in the release of the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, warning that it could jeopardise university admissions for many students.

In a statement issued on December 9, 2024, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) attributed the delay to a malfunction in scanners used to process objective answer sheets. The situation has been further exacerbated by an outstanding GH₵118,000,000 debt owed by the Ministry of Education, which WAEC says is crucial to resolving the issue.

CHOPSS criticised the government for failing to address the problem promptly, particularly highlighting the impact on private school students who have already paid their WASSCE registration fees.

The delay is especially concerning as many universities in Ghana have admission deadlines in January 2025, putting at risk the future of students awaiting their results.

Had the scanner issue not occurred, CHOPSS stated, private schools would have requested the independent release of their students’ results, as they have no outstanding debts with WAEC.

The Council has called for immediate government action to resolve the issue and alleviate mounting concerns among private school administrators, parents, and students.

“This situation is simply unacceptable,” CHOPSS stated, noting the ongoing challenges faced by private schools, which have been excluded from the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy for the past eight years. The statement emphasised that many parents are forced to make difficult decisions about their children’s education due to financial constraints.

CHOPSS has urged the government to urgently pay the outstanding debt to WAEC, warning that further action will be taken if the situation is not resolved in the coming days.

Source:TheDotNews