WAEC Releases Guidelines For WASSCE Registration

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has outlined the guidelines for the registration of final-year Junior High School (JHS) students for the upcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

This follows the opening of the registration portal for the examination on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, and is expected to close on Friday, April 19, 2024 for school candidates, while private candidates will have access to the registration portal from Tuesday, April 2 to Friday, August 30, 2024.

School candidates will pay GH¢465.00 as registration fee while private candidates will pay varying fees based on the number of papers they register for.

The Council in its guidelines for the registration called for correct spelling and arrangement of names in the right order with the surname preceding the first name and then any other name; confirmation of date of birth by candidates before finalisation of the registration process; proper capturing of candidates’ photographs showing candidate’s face and both ears without sunglasses or spectacles; and registration of candidates for the right subjects.

“It is important for all candidates to ensure that their bio-data is captured accurately before appending their signatures certifying the correctness of their entries on the statement forms.

“School authorities should ensure that they register candidates for the correct Ghanaian Language as well as other options available to them as no amendment of date of birth, re-arrangement/addition or subtraction of names will be entertained after the release of final results and printing of certificates.”

Additionally, heads of schools were directed to request access arrangements for special needs candidates with accompanying medical reports forwarded to the council within the registration period.

Rules
The WAEC has cautioned heads of schools from registering ineligible individuals including students who have not been enrolled in senior high school from their first year and progressed through to the third year and do not have the required continuous assessment records; students who are not in the final year or are not bona fide students of the school in question; and students who have previously written the WASSCE (SC) but need better grades in one or more subjects.

Such candidates are directed to register as private candidates, contrary to which may attract nullification of the candidate’s results.

Additionally, the council cautioned against advertising WASSCE for school candidates in any form e.g. in print, electronic or social media.

“The Council wishes to caution parents and the general public against registering for the examination with “banner schools”, many of whom lack any of the requisite facilities to run as regular schools. They are set up for the sole purpose of registering candidates for the examination. The schools put out phone numbers on the banners and request prospective candidates to meet them at various locations for registration for the examination at very exorbitant fees.”

Timeline
School candidates will sit for the 2024 WASSCE from August 5 to September 27, 2024, with that of private candidates taking place from October 25 to December 18, 2024.