The government has given the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) an amount of GH¢55 million for organising this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The Public Relations Officer of WAEC, Winifred Ampiaw, confirmed receipt of the money on Eyewitness News on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
“I can say that we have received some amount of money that will enable us to conduct the exams, for both WASSCE and BECE. However, there’s a payment plan to pay the rest. So far we have received GH¢10.5 million to be able to conduct BECE, and for WASSCE, we have received GH¢40 million. This amount will enable us to take care of the pre-exams activities and the conduct of the exams itself. We’ve received GH¢55 million in total received, I know for a fact that we have received the money”.
“The payment is for this year’s exams, we are supposed to spend a rough estimate of GH¢18 million for BECE. For WASSCE, the total cost for just the pre and the conduct of the main will take us to GH¢63.5 million. We are left with about GH¢7.5 million. However, I want to assure the public that yes, we are in the position to conduct both exams for this year,” she assured.
This comes on the back of claims by the Minority that the 2023 WASSCE and BECE may not come off due to the failure of government to honour its financial obligations to WAEC.
Speaking to journalists in Parliament, the Minority Spokesperson on Education, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, expressed concern that WAEC urgently requires over GH¢50 million to settle its financial obligations and ensure the seamless organization of the 2023 examinations.
He highlighted the current challenges faced by WAEC, citing the government’s failure to release funds for compensating individuals who provided their services during the 2022 WASSCE.
Deputy Education Minister, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, also reacting to the Minority’s claims on Eyewitness News said government is working to settle the rest of the money.
“I wish to state emphatically that all arrangements to begin BECE on August 7 are in place, nothing has changed. BECE will be conducted by WAEC unabated. There were some concerns of indebtedness which were brought to our attention. As of yesterday [July 26], an amount of GH¢40 million has been paid to WAEC, to support them in their operations,” Reverend Ntim-Fordjour revealed.