Accra: CUTS International, a public policy and consumer advocacy think tank, has called on the Ministry of Education to compel the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to stop charging candidates fees to access their BECE and WASSCE results online.
According to Ghana News Agency, CUTS International criticized WAEC’s practice of requiring students to purchase scratch cards to view their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results online. The organization described this practice as unnecessary and bordering on extortion, arguing that demanding fees from candidates before allowing them access to their exam results is ‘exploitative and unjustified.’
The advocacy group emphasized that in many parts of the world, exam bodies do not charge students to access their results. It pointed out that in local universities, students can access their results free of charge, as is standard in other jurisdictions. ‘This is a basic right that should not come at a cost to students or their families,” stated a release signed by Mr. Appiah Kusi Adomako, West Africa Regional Director of CUTS.
The statement noted that before 2004, WAEC printed and distributed physical results slips to schools, which incurred significant logistical costs. However, since transitioning to an online system, these costs have drastically reduced. Despite the shift, candidates are now being asked to pay between GHS 15 and GHS 25 to view their results, imposing additional financial burdens on parents.
The statement highlighted that approximately 600,000 candidates wrote the BECE this year, and if each candidate pays GHS 15, this would result in a total of GHC 9 million. “Going digital was supposed to make things easier and more affordable, but instead, candidates are now forced to pay out of pocket for a service that should be free,” it explained.
The organization compared the situation to countries like South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya, and Zambia, where students access their results online without paying any fee, questioning why a similar system should bring extra costs to students in Ghana.
Further concerns were raised about the financial burden on students accessing their Senior High School placement through the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). The system was introduced to improve transparency and reduce costs compared to the old manual process. “Yet today, students still have to pay just to find out which school they have been placed in. This defeats the very purpose of automation,” the statement added.
CUTS International called on the sector Ministry, the Ghana Education Service, and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education to act swiftly and decisively to end what it described as an ‘illegal and unfair’ practice starting this year.
The group underscored that WAEC is not the only body conducting examinations, noting that students who sit for ACCA, SAT, TOEFL, GRE, IELTS, and even national service postings access their results or placements online for free. “The fact that this practice has persisted for 21 years does not justify its legitimacy. Accessing exam results or computerised placement into SHS should not be a luxury or a source of revenue. It should be a basic service as it pertains in other jurisdictions,” it asserted.
The statement concluded by urging authorities to ensure that education remains accessible and affordable.