By Fudia Turay
Sierra Leone’s government lost an estimated $875,000 in 2025 due to absenteeism in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, told parliament.
The loss stems from public funding allocated for candidates who were registered but failed to sit the examination. The government pays $25 per candidate to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to cover examination costs.
According to figures presented to lawmakers, 219,173 candidates were registered for the 2025 WASSCE, but 35,020 candidates did not appear on examination days, resulting in direct financial losses estimated at $875,500.
Sackey said total government expenditure on WASSCE entries now stands at nearly $1.4 million annually, placing a significant burden on the national budget.
He acknowledged that a small proportion of absentees — estimated at around 2% — may have had legitimate reasons, including illness or emergencies, but said the majority represented wasted public spending.
The minister warned that absenteeism and alleged irregularities in the registration process undermine public confidence in the education system and divert scarce resources that could be used to improve teaching and learning outcomes.
The government is considering reforms aimed at tightening the registration process and reducing financial losses in future examination cycles, Sackey said.
