The sad news gathered by Education-News Consult is that the marking of 2024 BECE has been postponed to an unknown date. Readers will remember that we reported in our news reports that marking of the 2024 BECE was scheduled to start on August 12th and end on August 22nd, 2024.
However, this has been delayed due to the government’s indebtedness to WAEC. This was revealed by the minority in parliament.
The Minority in Parliament announced that the marking of 2024 BECE is postponed by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
In a press statement detailing the sad development, Ranking Member of the Education Committee, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, said the current development was a result of a lack of funds and the government’s indebtedness to the exam body.
In June 2024, the government of Ghana owed WAEC GH₵300 million for services provided from 2022 up to this year.
In a press briefing on Thursday, August 22, Ranking Member of the Education Committee, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, attributed the postponement to the lack of funds caused by the government’s indebtedness to the exam body.
READ: 2024 BECE Marking, School Selection and Placement and BECE Results
He demanded that the government settle this debt immediately.
“As we speak, WAEC had to postpone the marking of BECE scripts from this month—August to September—because they don’t have the funds to do the coordination and marking.
“They still owe WAEC for the BECE, and we are demanding that the government pays this money to WAEC so that they can organise the marking in time,” he demanded.
According to Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, the delay in marking the scripts will lead to the disruption of the academic calendar. Already Ghana Education Service (GES) has slated 27th September for the start of term 1 for BECE graduates (SHS1 students), yet the scripts are yet to be marked.
“So we are asking the government to release the money to WAEC as urgently as they can so that the marking can take place for our young ones to enter senior high schools in good time,” he pleaded.
It would be recalled that the exams themselves almost suffered a setback due to the government’s indebtedness to WAEC until the government released part of the money a few weeks before the examination.
Candidates and parents are currently lacking information as to when the 2024 school selection will start. Without students selecting schools, they cannot be placed.
Again, if their scripts are not marked early, the 27th September reopening date announced by GES will have to be extended, leading to students spending less time in school for their Term 1 of SHS1. WAEC is however yet to react to the information from the minority.
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