The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), which is expected in July 2024, may not go forward as planned owing to serious financial difficulties, the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) has warned.
The government’s refusal to provide vital funding required for test preparation and administration caused the council to express extreme worry. Time is running out for WAEC to buy the required supplies as the exam date of July 8, 2024, draws near.
In an interview with Joy FM’s Midday News, WAEC Director of Public Affairs John Kapi emphasised the seriousness of the situation and the requirement for quick financial assistance in order to prevent the exams from being disrupted. According to Kapi, WAEC wants the government to pay ₵95,837,306 in total for the 2024 examinations, and there is still an overdue payment of ₵698,500 for the BECE.
He mentioned that ₵2,284,618 has been given to the council thus far, leaving ₵93,552,688 still unpaid for the BECE. Kapi underlined that the ₵2 million awarded is not enough to make the inspection easier.
This week, the minority caucus on Parliament’s Education Committee brought up the matter and demanded a payment plan from the administration. Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, the ranking member of the Education Committee, suggested a meeting with the national officer of WAEC, the ministers of finance, and education to create a plan for funding release.
He stressed how urgent it is to make sure WAEC has the funding required to carry out the BECE and carry out its purpose. In order to emphasise the urgency of taking immediate action, Nortsu-Kotoe also brought attention to the approaching WASSCE exam in August, which also needs money.
But the committee’s vice chairman, Dr. Prince Hamidu Armah, played down the severity of the government’s debt, claiming that things have been this way for the last ten years. He stated that the government has already contributed ₵2.5 million and an extra ₵6 million in 2024 to the BECE, out of a total of ₵80 million in 2023. This proves the government’s commitment to paying and making sure the exams are carried out, he claimed.
Persistent inflation, which decreased from 25% in April 2024 to 23.1% in May 2024, has had a major negative impact on the health and education sectors. These industries are said to have seen a significant downturn recently, with little indications that things will get better.
Government statistician Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim emphasised that in order to handle this dire scenario, government institutions must respond quickly and pragmatistically.
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