The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) has suspended twelve secondary school principals for one year without pay for failing to submit Continuous Assessment System (CAS) scores for their candidates in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The announcement was made by MBSSE Communication Specialist, Augustine Bamie Anthony, during the government’s weekly press briefing held on October 21, 2025, at the Miatta Conference Centre in Freetown. Anthony described the principals’ negligence as a major contributor to the mass failure in English Language recorded in the recently released WASSCE results.
“This is not the first time we are taking such action,” Anthony noted, recalling that six principals were similarly suspended in 2024 for the same offense. The current suspensions, effective November 1, 2025, are part of the ministry’s efforts to enforce accountability in the education sector.
According to Anthony, only 11 percent of candidates met the required pass mark in English Language, a subject that continues to pose challenges for students nationwide.
He revealed that out of over 148,000 CAS entries expected, only 97,817 results were processed and presented to the ministry by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
In addition, 27,000 results were withheld across the five WAEC member states due to examination malpractices, with Sierra Leone accounting for 13,213 of those withheld results. Other reasons included non-payment of examination fees by private schools.
Despite the dismal English results, Anthony reported that 47 percent of candidates earned credit in Mathematics, while 52 percent of the 97,020 results presented showed candidates achieving the minimum five credits required for university entry—amounting to 47,434 students.
The ministry also disclosed that 35,020 candidates were absent during the examination period.
Anthony emphasized that WAEC operates as a semi-autonomous body, limiting direct government oversight. However, he confirmed that a committee has been established within the ministry to investigate the high number of withheld results and to explore reforms, including a review of the WAEC Act of 1984, which currently restricts the ministry’s regulatory reach.
To address the persistent failure in English Language, the ministry plans to convene a national stakeholders’ engagement aimed at developing long-term solutions to improve student performance and strengthen school accountability.
The developments come amid growing public concern over the quality of education and the effectiveness of school leadership in preparing students for national examinations. #sierraleonenews
