FREETOWN, 24 October 2026 – The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, has explained why thousands of candidates are yet to receive their full 2026 WASSCE results, more than two months after the exams ended.
In a post on his Facebook page, the Minister said the delay is due to alleged widespread examination irregularities and an ongoing verification process by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
According to Sackey, WAEC has withheld results for thousands of candidates and flagged 169 schools over alleged collusion, use of unauthorised materials, and possession of mobile phones in examination halls – all classified as serious examination malpractice under WAEC rules.
The 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) was conducted from April to June for over 160,000 candidates nationwide. While some results have been released, many pupils checking the WAEC portal have been met with “result withheld” notices, leaving them anxious about university and college admissions.
Minister Sackey said investigations are ongoing and that no date has yet been set for the full release.
He also dismissed a notice circulating on WhatsApp and Facebook claiming results would be released on 25 September 2026, stating that the notice was from 2025 and did not originate from the Ministry or WAEC.
Explaining government’s role, Sackey disclosed that government paid fees for 163,997 eligible candidates under the Free Quality School Education (FQSE) programme after screening 219,171 names submitted by schools.
He said 55,174 entries had problems, including duplicate registrations, questionable BECE records and incorrect personal data – a verification that saved government over US$1.37 million.
He appealed to pupils, parents and teachers to remain patient, assuring that outstanding results will be released once WAEC concludes its investigations.
