By: Aminata Sesay
Sierra Leone’s government risks losing more than NLe 23 million in examination fees due to thousands of candidates registered for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) failing to sit the exams.
The revelation emerged during a high-level engagement on Thursday, 5 March 2026, between the Parliamentary Committee on Basic and Senior Secondary Education, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). The meeting, held in Committee Room 1 of Parliament, examined irregularities in the uploading of Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS) and the Biometric Registration System (BRS) for the 2026 WASSCE.
Deputy Chief Education Officer, Madam Momoh, presented detailed figures showing that in 2025 the government paid examination fees for 36,307 absent candidates, resulting in a financial loss of more than NLe 21.9 million. She warned that a similar trend could occur in 2026 if stronger accountability measures are not enforced.
According to Madam Momoh, 267,730 candidates were initially submitted by 1,045 schools for the 2026 examination cycle. After verification based on BECE eligibility requirements under the Education Act 2023, 223,465 candidates were cleared. However, subsequent uploads into the biometric registration system produced a final list of 203,287 candidates, creating a discrepancy of 39,290 candidates compared to the initially verified list.
The potential financial exposure for the 2026 WASSCE is therefore estimated at over NLe 23.7 million, largely due to candidates who may be registered but fail to take the exams.
Honourable Rebecca Yei Sam, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Basic and Senior Secondary Education, attributed many of the recurring problems to school authorities rather than government or WAEC.
“For years, people have blamed government when students fail to sit WASSCE,” she said. “But investigations have shown that delays and discrepancies often originate from schools failing to submit correct and timely information.”
She noted that Parliament had previously required school heads to sign an undertaking committing them to submit accurate candidate data and comply with registration deadlines.
Honourable Dickson Rogers, Chief Whip of Parliament, expressed concern over the government’s continued spending of millions of leones annually on examination fees for candidates who fail to appear. WASSCE fees are paid by the government under the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) policy, aimed at expanding access to secondary education.
“The growing number of absentee candidates represents a significant financial burden on the state,” Rogers warned.
To address the problem, MBSSE has introduced a formal undertaking requiring school heads to accept financial responsibility for candidates uploaded but absent from examinations.
The ministry also plans to strengthen digital pre-validation of candidate data, review examination centres nationwide, intensify monitoring with WAEC and security agencies and enforce sanctions against defaulting principals.
WAEC confirmed that registration for the 2026 WASSCE closed on 28 February, with 203,287 candidates from 1,043 schools, representing a 37 percent increase compared to 2025.
The 2026 WASSCE examinations are scheduled to run from 21 April to 11 June, while the National Primary School Examination (NPSE) will take place on 2 May 2026.
Parliamentarians emphasized that tighter oversight and stronger enforcement will be necessary to prevent financial leakages and safeguard the credibility of Sierra Leone’s public examination system.