The African Education Watch (Eduwatch) has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to complete investigations into suspected examination malpractice before releasing examination results.
The education advocacy organisation says the current approach, where some candidates have their results withheld while investigations continue, could disadvantage students during the tertiary admission process.
Executive Director of Eduwatch, Kofi Asare, said candidates whose results remain under investigation may be forced to wait for extended periods before knowing whether their results have been cleared or cancelled.
According to him, such delays could become particularly problematic when tertiary institutions have already begun or completed their admission processes.
Delayed results could affect university admissions
Mr Asare explained that candidates whose results are withheld may be left in an uncertain position while other students proceed with applications and admissions to tertiary institutions.
He said some students could receive decisions on their results only after admission deadlines have passed, potentially limiting their opportunities to secure places at their preferred institutions.
Eduwatch has previously proposed that WAEC conclude investigations into suspected malpractice before the general release of examination results.
The proposal, he said, would ensure that candidates know from the beginning whether their results have been cancelled or cleared.
“Why won’t we finish all investigations before we release the results so that from day one, everybody knows whether they had their results cancelled or their results were intact?” he said.
Mr Asare argued that this would provide greater certainty for candidates and prevent students from being left waiting while tertiary admission processes move ahead.
Capacity constraints could cause further delays
However, the Eduwatch Executive Director acknowledged that implementing such a system could have implications for the timing of results.
He noted that completing all investigations before results are released could delay the publication of results if WAEC lacks the necessary human resources to handle suspected malpractice cases within a reasonable period.
He therefore called for greater investment in WAEC’s capacity to investigate examination malpractice.
According to Mr Asare, strengthening the Council’s human and institutional capacity would enable it to complete investigations more quickly without unnecessarily delaying the release of results for the wider candidate population.
Call for a more efficient examination results process
Eduwatch’s position centres on finding a balance between protecting the integrity of Ghana’s examinations and ensuring that candidates are not unfairly disadvantaged by prolonged investigations.
Mr Asare maintained that suspected examination malpractice must be properly investigated, but the process should be efficient enough to minimise disruptions to students’ academic progression.
He believes a faster investigation system would allow WAEC to determine the status of disputed results earlier and give candidates adequate certainty before tertiary institutions begin their admission processes.
