Over 100,000 students across Sierra Leone were unable to sit for this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), a situation described as “alarming” by Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara, commonly known as Hon. A.K.K., the Chief Whip of Parliament and Member of Parliament representing the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party.

Raising the issue during a recent parliamentary session, Hon. A.K.K drew the attention of the Speaker of Parliament to what he described as a systemic and persistent problem affecting Sierra Leonean students, which has reportedly continued for nearly three consecutive years.

According to Hon. A.K.K, although heads of schools had registered their candidates and Bio-data Registration Slips (BRS) had already been issued, more than 100,000 of those registered students were still excluded from writing the examination.

He attributed the situation to WAEC’s strict policy of only recognizing candidates listed under the Continuous Assessment Score Sheet (CASS) Year 1 data, which was submitted nearly two years ago.“This is unacceptable.

These children have completed their final year in secondary school, their parents have made all necessary financial commitments, and yet they are being denied the opportunity to write the most important public examination of their academic lives,” Hon. A.K.K lamented.

He emphasized the urgent need for the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to harmonize their systems and address the bureaucratic challenges that continue to jeopardize the future of thousands of young people.

The lawmaker further stressed the implications of this development on national development and social mobility, calling for immediate parliamentary scrutiny and action.

This revelation has sparked concern among education stakeholders, with many calling on the government to investigate the matter thoroughly and ensure that affected students are not permanently disadvantaged.