Sierra Leone’s Parliament has ordered an investigation into the withholding of more than 47,000 results from the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), directing the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) to establish a committee to review the affected results.
The decision followed the appearance of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Minister Conrad Sackey before Parliament to answer questions about the results withheld by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
Lawmakers from both sides of the House raised concerns about the scale of the withheld results and their implications for thousands of candidates awaiting their academic outcomes.
Parliament also mandated its Committee on Basic Education to investigate both MBSSE and WAEC. The inquiry will examine WAEC’s capacity to conduct public examinations and the ministry’s involvement in the recruitment of examination officers.
Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Segepoh, directed the committee to inform the House of the proposed timeline for its investigation within four working days.
He also called for the immediate release of results belonging to candidates against whom there is no evidence of examination malpractice.
During the questioning, MPs sought to establish whether the minister had personally reviewed the affected results. They also questioned the effectiveness of quality assurance officers in monitoring teaching and examination standards.
Lawmakers raised concerns about whether schools had completed their syllabuses before the examinations, whether candidates’ scripts had been properly marked and whether examiners were adequately trained and qualified.
The minister was further pressed to explain the possible sources of examination malpractice and leaked examination papers, with MPs calling for stronger safeguards to protect the credibility of public examinations.
The withholding of more than 47,000 results has become a major concern for Sierra Leone’s education sector, raising questions about examination administration, academic standards and the protection of candidates’ interests.
The development has also intensified scrutiny of the relationship between the education ministry and WAEC, particularly their respective responsibilities for preparing candidates, supervising examinations, recruiting examination personnel and addressing suspected malpractice.
For affected candidates, the uncertainty extends beyond their examination results. It could also delay admission into universities and other tertiary institutions, as well as their progression to further studies.
The parliamentary investigation is expected to establish whether the procedures followed by WAEC and the ministry were adequate and determine what action should be taken to ensure that candidates not implicated in malpractice are not unfairly disadvantaged.
