WAEC considering legal action against Africa Education Watch over 2020 WASSCE report

The West African Examination Council (WAEC), has said it is considering a possible legal action against education think tank, Africa Education Watch for a number of allegations leveled against the examination body.

Africa Education Watch on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, released a report on the 2020 West African Secondary Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE) where it alleged a number of irregularities against WAEC in the conduct of the examination.

They said there was leakage in examiners’ contact details and widespread leakage in examination questions.

But in a response, WAEC said Africa Education Watch did not consult them adding that the report is full of factual inaccuracies.

Speaking at a press conference the Head of the Legal Department at WAEC, Rev. Victor Brew, said all options are on the table, including legal action against Africa Education Watch over its report.

“All options are on the table including a legal suit. These are things that management has to first strategize on. Don’t be surprised if you hear of it in the coming days. But I can’t tell the actual date this will happen.”

Meanwhile, Africa Education Watch in its report had said the malpractices, violence and chaos that characterized the 2020 WASSCE examinations are only symptoms of system deficiencies that have been either overlooked or swept under the carpet for many years.

“Anything short of a holistic reform of our assessment system only provides maximum assurance of the recurrence of similar if not worse malpractices in 2021 and beyond. The onus lies on the MoE to choose between the timely nursing of a curable sore and the continued delusion of its absence until it becomes an incurable cancer,” it added.