By Fasalie Sulaiman Kamara
Assistant Registrar, Administration , at the West Africa Examinations Council Sierra Leone office, says they withheld 2,000 results pending investigation for suspected examination malpractices.
Speaking to Politico, Abdul Rahman Newland Newland insisted that WAEC had not cancelled the results and might release at least some of them later.
He said they took the action as a result of evidence gathered from various examination centres in the 2013 November private secondary school leaving WASSCE exam. “We have put together the evidence and a committee in the office is currently analysing it”, he said, noting that after the investigation they would present their findings to the Sierra Leone Examinations Committee for final decision.
Newland said the exams committee, which comprises the ministry of education, Conference of Principals and other stakeholders in education, would take a further look at the evidence and also recommend a action.
Some of the candidates whose results are being withheld told Politico outside the WAEC office in Freetown vented out their frustrations. Moses Sandi whose examination centre was Police Training School at Hastings, said he feel "very bad" on learning that his result had not been released.”I don’t know of any malpractice and I was not involved in any malpractice" he protested.
Adama Conteh, a candidate whose examination centre was at UCC Primary School at Tower Hill in Freetown said, “I understand that there was a lot of malpractice during the examination but I was not involved".
(C) Politico 23/01/14
