An Accra High Court has ruled out the West African Examinations Council’s (WAEC) request to stay an earlier ruling that ordered the release of withheld West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results.
WAEC had previously held back the results for about 10,000 students, citing alleged examination malpractices and irregularities in an announcement on December 30, 2024.
However, on January 30, 2025, the High Court sided with four students who petitioned for all affected candidates, ruling that WAEC must release the results without any negative annotations.
The court stated that WAEC’s reasons for withholding the results were unclear and inconsistent. It also emphasised that delaying the release could impede the academic and professional advancement of the students.
In spite of this ruling, WAEC moved to request a stay of execution while they appealed the decision.
During a hearing on February 20, 2025, presiding judge Justice Ali Baba Abature rejected WAEC’s application, concluding that they had not provided adequate justification for their actions.
The court also imposed a fine of GHS 5,000 on WAEC.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has announced plans to demonstrate against WAEC on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, if the exam-conducting body fails to release the results as ordered by the court.
In a statement issued on February 18, the President of NUGS, Daniel Korley Botchway, confirmed that the Union had officially informed the Greater Accra Regional Police Command about the planned protest.
The student body criticised WAEC’s handling of the results, arguing that thousands of students have been unfairly affected by the cancellations and delays.
According to the statement, even students whose results were later released faced significant challenges, as the delays made them ineligible for admission into public tertiary institutions, where the admission process had already concluded.