Monrovia — The Liberia Office of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) has finally released the provisional results for the 2024 WAEC and WASSCE exams for grades three, six, nine, and twelve. However, in a surprising move, the institution withheld the names of top-ranking students and well-performing schools.
During a press conference on Monday, September 16, 2024, at the WAEC office in Congo Town, WAEC-Liberia Chairman Dale Gbotoe provided an overview of the exams. He revealed that WAEC conducted two types of examinations in 2024: the National Examinations and the International Examination for school candidates across Liberia.
For the first time, this year's public exams included participation from schools located near the Guinea-Liberia border, where students follow the same curriculum as Liberia.
Regarding examination malpractices, WAEC has withheld the results of 725 candidates involved in various types of misconduct, including the use of cellphones, foreign materials, and other violations. Additionally, results from 534 schools in the WASSCE for 12th graders have been withheld. In the junior high category, the results of 26 schools' candidates are also withheld due to examination malpractices. Mr. Gbotoe noted that the Liberia National Assessment Test (LNAT) was administered to 28,866 third graders, with 28,019 students sitting the exam. Out of this number, 23,969 students passed, while 4,050 failed.
Grand Gedeh County recorded the highest pass rate, with 95.45% of third graders passing the exam. Mr. Gbotoe also shared that 42,415 sixth graders sat the exam, with 38,504 passing and 3,911 failing.
"Impressively, the three schools operating within the Guinea corridor topped the results, achieving a pass rate of 98.5%," he said.
For the 9th grade exams, a total of 44,980 students participated, with 41,833 passing and 3,147 failing. Overall, female students slightly outperformed their male counterparts, and students excelled the most in Social Studies. Schools in the Guinea corridor recorded a perfect pass rate of 100% in the 9th-grade exam.
The performance of 12th graders in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) also improved compared to previous years. According to Mr. Gbotoe, the 2024 results showed a significant improvement compared to 2018, when the WASSCE was first administered nationwide in Liberia. He noted that arts students took seven subjects, while science students sat for a minimum of eight. In 2024, candidates achieved a pass rate of 60% or higher in Biology and Economics.
Maryland County achieved the highest overall pass rate, with 98.29% of candidates passing the WASSCE.
However, in a surprising turn of events, WAEC-Liberia refrained from disclosing the names of top-performing candidates and schools. This departure from tradition raised eyebrows, as Mr. Gbotoe and his team have consistently recognized high-ranking students and well-performing schools in previous years.
Mr. Gbotoe revealed that 25,740 of the 47,255 candidates who sat for the English Language exam failed, while 31,677 of the 45,998 candidates who sat for Mathematics also failed. In contrast, 60% of the candidates passed both Economics and Biology. A total of 26,716 of the 44,288 candidates passed Economics, while 33,062 of the 48,754 candidates passed Biology.
For other subjects, 20,810 of the 48,354 candidates passed Geography, 13,324 of the 43,018 candidates passed History, and 1,518 of the 42,788 candidates passed Literature-in-English. In the sciences, 12,726 of the 40,098 candidates passed Chemistry, while 17,336 of the 42,658 candidates passed Physics.
When asked about the decision to withhold the names of top-performing students, Mr. Gbotoe explained that the decision stemmed from concerns about irregularities. He pointed out that an ongoing investigation into cases where large numbers of students from the same schools scored similar marks raised red flags.
"Yes, we should have announced the names of exceptional students, but we observed some things. We thought it wise and prudent to withhold the names of those who may be considered top ten students, especially if all of them come from the same school. When we say you're exceptional, you should truly be exceptional," he emphasized. He added that an elaborate program will be held for the best-performing students once the investigation is concluded.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Regarding reports of the Mathematics exam being leaked to 12th graders ahead of the test, Mr. Gbotoe neither confirmed nor denied the claim. Instead, he requested evidence from media practitioners to substantiate the report.
In contrast to his stance, Mr. Gbotoe is set to appear before the Monrovia City Court on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., following a complaint filed by the Office of the Ombudsman over the alleged leaked Mathematics exam. The Court issued a writ of summons, asserting that the exam was leaked during the administration of the 2024 WASSCE exams.
