Private SSCE sitters besiege WAEC for results

There is a lot of anxiety among thousands of students who sat for the private Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSSCE) in November last year, because of a delay in the release of the results.

A section of the students stormed the offices of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Tuesday, this week, to demand for the release of their results, as the deadline set for the return of some university application forms draw close.

The frustrated-looking students, most of whom were desperate for their results slips to enable them to complete university admission forms for 2006, were seen crowded in front of WAEC notice boards, frantically searching for their names and grades.

But to their dismay, there was nothing to be found.

A visit to the WAEC offices around noon, the students were seen discussing among themselves what to do.

One of the frustrated students, Kwame Frimpong, said when he got to WAEC that morning, the security personnel at the gate advised him to turn back because the results had not yet been released.

He said he remained on the premises nonetheless, and was shortly joined by others on the same mission.

Kwame Frimpong said if the results were not made known by today, all hopes of completing and submitting the Cape Coast admission forms he bought.

Elaborating, he said the closing date for the submission of these forms was the 28th of February and there was presently no indication that this would be extended.

Micheal Agyei, another victim of the situation, disclosed he had also bought admission forms for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the last day for submission was also February 28, 2006.

“I don't know what I would do if I do not receive my result slips this week,” he said sadly. “It would mean waiting a whole year for another opportunity.”

Micheal said he had bought a WAEC access card, which should allow him to verify his results online, but wasn't sure whether or not he could access the results now that WAEC officials had not released students' results.

Public Relations Officer of the council, Mrs. Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, admitted that the results were not ready and would be released by the end the month.

According to her, the results had not delayed and the council cannot be blamed since it always released the private examination results at the end of February.

“We normally release our results three months after examinations have been written,” she said.

Mrs. Cudjoe assured the students that the council was working hard to get the results released by the end of this month, explaining that the council had a timetable for the commencement of examinations and release of results, and therefore could not go contrary to its plan for the year.

She disclosed that until the council released the results, no student could have access to his results whether in person at WAEC, or online by the special access cards.

“The students cannot have access to their results if they are not posted on the website,” she underscored.

Asked about the effect of this on the submission of university admission forms by the students, she said WAEC and the universities had different timetables, and the council therefore could not be moved to release results any earlier than scheduled.

Mrs. Cudjoe could not say whether or not the date for the submission of the results could be postponed.

In all about, 14,426 candidates wrote the examinations in 68 centers across the country.