The Conference of Heads of Private Second-Cycle Schools (CHOPSS) has expressed serious concern over the delay in releasing the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for school candidates, describing the situation as avoidable.
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 cards. The issue has been worsened by an outstanding GH₵118,000,000 owed by the Ministry of Education, which WAEC says is urgently needed to address the problem.
CHOPSS criticized the government for failing to resolve the matter promptly, especially as private school students—who have fully paid their WASSCE registration fees—are being unfairly affected.
The delay is particularly alarming because universities across Ghana have January 2025 admission deadlines, potentially jeopardizing the future of many students who depend on their results for entry.
CHOPSS further highlighted that, had the scanner breakdown not occurred, private schools would have requested the independent release of their results, as they owe no debts to WAEC.
The Council called for immediate government action to prevent further disruptions and alleviate the growing concerns among private school administrators, parents, and students.
“This situation is simply unacceptable…for eight years, we have been excluded from participating in the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy. Our classrooms have been left almost empty as parents face difficult economic decisions when choosing schools for their children.”
In light of these ongoing challenges, CHOPSS is calling on the government to urgently disburse the outstanding balance owed to WAEC to ensure the immediate release of the examination results.
The statement further warns that if a positive response is not received within the coming days, private schools, in collaboration with parents and students, will be forced to take further action to address the situation.
