The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the provisional results of the 2020 Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).

A total of 531,707 candidates made up of 269,408 males and 262,299 females sat for the examination in September but the results of 497 candidates have been cancelled for engaging in various forms of examination malpractice. WAEC in a statement said it has also withheld the results of 977 candidates pending the conclusion of investigations into various cases of alleged examination malpractice.

The statement added that the results have not yet been sent to the Junior High Schools (JHS) but are currently available online at the Council’s website – www.waecgh.org. The results can also be checked by dialling the mobile shortcode *944#.

“A total of 531,707 candidates made up of 269,408 males and 262,299 females sat for the examination. This figure is 2.78% higher than the 2019 candidature of 517,332. The candidates were from a total of 17,436 schools and the examination was administered at 2,012 centres. Out of the total number of candidates who initially registered, 1.59% were absent,” the statement said.

Sanctions

The statement said WAEC’s Final Awards and Examiners Appointment Committee for the BECE has approved several sanctions for students who engaged in various forms of malpractices during the exams.

The sanctions include the cancellation of the Subject Results of 417 candidates for bringing foreign material into the examination hall and engaging in collusion, cancellation of the Entire Results of 44 candidates for bringing mobile phones into the examination hall and the withholding of the subject results of 977 candidates pending the conclusion of investigations into various cases of alleged examination malpractice.

“The withheld results of candidates may be cancelled or released based on the outcome of investigations,” the statement said.