By Ashiadey Dotse
The Conference of Heads of Private Second-Cycle Schools (CHOPSS) has expressed deep concern over the delay in releasing the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for school candidates.
In a statement issued on December 9, 2024, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) blamed the delay on faulty scanners used to process objective cards. Additionally, WAEC revealed that an outstanding debt of GH₵118 million from the Ministry of Education is preventing them from resolving the issue.
CHOPSS criticized the government for not addressing the problem quickly, especially since private school students have fully paid their WASSCE registration fees. They described the delay as unfair and avoidable.
The group emphasized that the delay is particularly worrying because universities in Ghana have January 2025 admission deadlines. Many students risk missing out on their university placements if their results are not released soon.
CHOPSS pointed out that if the scanner malfunction had not occurred, private schools would have requested an independent release of their results, as they owe no debts to WAEC.
“This situation is unacceptable. For eight years, private schools have been excluded from the Free Senior High School policy, leaving our classrooms nearly empty as parents face tough economic choices,” the statement added.
CHOPSS is now calling on the government to urgently pay the outstanding debt to WAEC to prevent further delays. They also warned that if no action is taken soon, private schools, along with parents and students, will consider taking further steps to resolve the issue.
