By: Aminata Sesay
Parliament is set to question the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education, Hon. Conrad Sackey, over the withholding of a significant number of students’ examination results following concerns raised by Hon. Daniel Brima Koroma about the impact on affected candidates.
The matter arose during parliamentary proceedings on Thursday, 29 October 2026, when Hon. Koroma called for an urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the withheld results, stressing that innocent students should not be made to suffer for suspected examination irregularities.
He questioned why such a large number of results had been withheld, particularly given the importance of education to national development and the critical stage of the affected students’ academic careers.
Hon. Koroma argued that where examination malpractice was suspected, those responsible, including invigilators and examination officials, should be investigated and held accountable rather than penalizing students whose involvement in any wrongdoing had not been established.
He further indicated his intention to invoke the relevant provisions of Standing Order 20 to formally bring the matter before Parliament and request the Minister’s appearance during Question Time.
In response, Hon. Rebecca Yei Kamara, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Basic and Senior Secondary School Education, disclosed that she had been informed by the Director and other relevant officials that investigations into the withheld results were already ongoing.
She clarified that the results had not been permanently withheld, explaining that the relevant authorities were still investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged examination irregularities.
Hon. Kamara cautioned against setting up a separate parliamentary investigative committee while the ongoing investigation was still in progress, noting that doing so could lead to duplication of efforts.
She suggested that Parliament could either await the outcome of the investigation or consider including parliamentary representatives in the process to promote transparency and accountability.
Following the deliberations, the Speaker advised Hon. Koroma to submit his concerns formally in writing, clearly outlining the issues he wanted addressed.
The submission is expected to provide the basis for Parliament to consider requesting the appearance of Hon. Conrad Sackey before the House to explain why the results were withheld, the nature of the alleged irregularities and the measures being taken to resolve the matter.
The proposed parliamentary questioning is expected to bring further scrutiny to the handling of the affected students’ results, amid calls for fairness, accountability and the protection of their academic future.