The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has raised the alarm over the growing extortion of candidates by some schools and examination supervisors, describing the practice as illegal and a threat to the integrity of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
In a statement issued on Monday, WAEC said it had received reports of candidates being compelled to pay unauthorized charges under various pretexts, including transportation of examination scripts, welfare packages and so-called “cooperation” fees.
The examination body also accused some schools of demanding payment for KAPEK calculators that had already been provided free of charge by the council.
“WAEC has noted cases where schools demand payment for KAPEK calculators already provided by the Council at no cost to candidates. WAEC condemns these practices as illegal, unethical and a direct threat to the integrity of the WASSCE,” the statement said.
The council warned schools and supervisors involved in such practices to desist immediately, saying individuals or institutions found engaging in such practices risk sanctions, including derecognition of schools, blacklisting, prosecution and referral to relevant authorities for disciplinary action.
The Council previously said the ongoing WASSCE had faced operational challenges, noting that some papers were delayed due to security and operational challenges, including a recent road accident that claimed the lives of three personnel transporting sensitive examination materials.
“Three of our dedicated personnel who were transporting sensitive examination materials interstate lost their lives in the tragic crash,” the council said.
It added that prevailing security challenges, including protests linked to the abduction of schoolchildren in parts of the country, further affected the timely delivery of examination materials.
WAEC said emergency measures were activated to ensure the examinations were eventually conducted in affected areas, while expressing condolences to the families of the deceased staff members.
