BECE in limbo – WAEC awaits GH¢48m to begin examination

The 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is facing uncertainty because the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has only received a small portion of the funds it needs. WAEC requires GH¢95.83 million to conduct the exam, but so far, they’ve only received about GH¢2.3 million. They need at least 50% of the total funds to properly carry out the examination and handle the results.

The exam is scheduled to take place from Monday, July 8 to Monday, July 15, 2024, across all test centers nationwide.

In an interview with Severious Kale-Dery from Graphic Online, John Kapi, the Head of Public Relations at WAEC, explained that although GH¢6 million had been processed through the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS), the actual funds have not yet been received.

Mr. Kapi expressed concerns that the examination might not happen as planned if the funds don’t come in time. Many suppliers have provided essential materials like paper, answer booklets, and pencils on credit, but due to unpaid debts, they are hesitant to supply more materials for the upcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates in 2024.

The late release of funds is impacting every aspect of the examinations. For example, WAEC has to airfreight some items due to delayed purchases, which is much more expensive than sea freight. The delayed payments have forced WAEC to spend around $29,000 on airfreighting script envelopes instead of the $6,500 it would have cost by sea.

John Kapi highlighted that WAEC urgently needs GH¢48 million to start the examination on time.