Harmonisation of WAEC certificates is necessary - Osafo-Maafo

Accra, March 13, GNA - Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Education and Sports, on Monday called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to harmonise and standardise its certificates among member countries of the Sub-Region. He said the harmonisation of certificates would make their recognition among member countries easy and also facilitate the enrolment of students into other schools in other African countries.

Mr Osafo-Maafo said this when members of WAEC called on him as part of the programme lined up for the 54th Annual Council Meeting due to open on Tuesday in Accra. He said the Government was amending the WAEC law on how to manage examination malpractices, adding that it was in its final stage to be approved by Cabinet by April 2006. Mr Osafo-Maafo commended the West African Examination Council (WAEC) for ensuring leakage-free examinations in the 2005 Senior Secondary School Examination. He, however, called for more stringent measures to maintain the situation in future examinations.

Mr Osafo-Maafo said when leakages started at the low level they had the tendency to spread to higher levels and this must be checked. Mr Ousman Alieu Ndow, Chairman of WAEC, said the Government was providing a six storey-building complex to house the WAEC Headquarters and accommodation for the Registrar. He said the Government was also giving WAEC substantial financial support to enable it to carry out its duties. Mr Ndow said WAEC was taking steps to get French-speaking West African countries to join the Council so that all countries in the Sub-Region would take one examination and receive a common certificate.