The Member for Kintampo North, Joseph Kwame Kumah has alleged that Ghana will loose the hosting of the headquarters of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) if not immediate action is taken according to reports.
Recent media reports suggested that financial difficulties caused by the Ghanaian government’s indebtedness to WAEC had severely affected its operations, prompting discussions about a potential relocation.
The lawmaker explains that, it is important for the sector minister to appear before the house to respond to the claims.
WAEC also owes financial obligations to technicians responsible for maintaining critical equipment needed for the examination process among others. The technicians are expected to be paid to fix malfunctioning specialised scanners essential for marking objective questions in the WASSCE.
According to the Kintampo North representative, the Ranking Member has on several occasions complained about the non release of funds to WAEC.
Mr Kumah who said this on the floor of parliament in a comment following a statement made by the Ranking Member on the Education committee, Peter Nortsu Kotoe calling for the the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum to appear before lawmakers to respond to challenges facing the regional examiniaton body WAEC.
The Kintampo MP who is also a member of the education committee said government failed to address the sitation despite several alerts by the ranking member.
The statement noted that government is indebted to WAEC to the tne of Ghc 118 million, a development he said is inhibiting the successful conduct of the 2024 examination.
It further hinted that the development if not address will also delay the release of results of candidates as examiners have threatened to withhold results.
“Information available is that the target date of 19 December for the release of the 2024 results will have to be delayed because examiners are threatening to hold on to their scripts if payments are not made to them.
“Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I wish to urge you to invite the Ministers for Education and Finance to appear before the house and explain why the government is unable to release funds to release the 2024 WAEC results on the target date of 19 December 2024. So that our children and wards are not denied the opportunity of entering tertiary institutions in January 2025.”, Mr Kotoe said.
The ranking member therefore demands the presence of the Education minister before Parliament to explain to Ghanaians why the delay.
The minister who was present asked for time to ascertain the facts from WAEC and respond appropriately.
By: Christian Kpesese
