WAEC Results Will Not Be Announced Today -Head of Office Clarifies Releasing Results Due Next Week

By: George C Flomo 

MONROVIA – Amid widespread speculation regarding the release of national exam results, the Head of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Liberia, Mr. Dale Gbotoe, has clarified that the results would not be released on Wednesday, August 6, as rumored.

Speaking during Tuesday’s regular press briefing hosted by the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism (MICAT), Mr. Gbotoe urged the public to disregard misinformation circulating on social media and other unofficial platforms.

He emphasized that the results would be formally released next week, either on Tuesday, August 12, or Thursday, August 14, exclusively through the MICAT platform.

“We remain committed to the timeline we previously communicated—that all results will be out before Friday, August 15,” Gbotoe assured. “From where we sit, we are pleased to inform you that we will release the results before that date.”

The WAEC Liberia head proposed that the Ministry of Education and MICAT coordinate to use one of the regular press briefing days to announce the results publicly, rather than holding a separate release ceremony at the WAEC office.

Mr. Gbotoe also explained the established protocol for results release, noting that WAEC must first submit the results to the Ministry of Education, which then forwards them to the Office of the President before they are made public.

“We cannot release results before informing the government. It is improper for the President to hear such major news from the media,” he stated.

Four Exams, One Release

Mr. Gbotoe further indicated that The WAEC Liberia administered four major exams this academic year: The Liberia National Assessment Test (LNAT) for 3rd graders; The Liberia Primary School Certificate Examination (LPSCE) for 6th graders; The Junior High School Certificate Examination (JHSCE), and The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for 12th graders.

Mr. Gbotoe confirmed that results for all four exams will be released simultaneously.

Lessons from 2024 Results

Citing past challenges, he explained that this year’s delay is partly due to efforts to ensure accuracy and fairness. In 2024, there was significant public outcry over discrepancies in results caused by improper shading on objective answer sheets.

“We discovered that some students at the 12th-grade level had incorrect markings—some even attempted to shade all the spaces,” he revealed. “Such issues required careful correction before the answer sheets could be scanned.”

He noted that although the objective section is scored by machine, errors caused by poor shading can result in rejections, which WAEC must manually rectify before processing.

To address this going forward, Gbotoe announced that answer sheet samples will be sent to schools ahead of future exams to help train students on proper marking techniques.

Government’s Financial Support

Mr. Gbotoe disclosed that over 180,000 candidates sat this year’s national exams. Of that number, the Government of Liberia covered exam fees for nearly 80,000 students. This includes:

Over 53,000 12th graders from public schools, and over 23,000 junior high students in public institutions.

“We want to appreciate the Government of Liberia for fulfilling its financial commitment,” he added. “Without that support, we would not be able to release these results on time.”

He concluded by reiterating that any information outside of the official MICAT platform should be treated as fake news. The final date of release will be confirmed by the Ministry of Education later this week.

Also speaking at the MICAT Press Briefing was Deputy Minister for Instruction at the Ministry of Education, Mr. Amos A. Philip, who also serves as Liberia’s chief government nominee to WAEC and currently holds the position of 2nd Vice Chair within the WAEC governing body comprising five English-speaking West African countries.

Deputy Minister Philip assured the public that the government would not take any action that could mislead or embarrass its citizens, particularly concerning education matters.

“We are working with this government to give you more factual information, especially when it comes to education in this country,” he said.

 Addressing the rumors of WAEC results being released, he emphasized that Liberia has not yet released any official results.

He clarified that while all five member countries—Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Liberia –administered the tests around the same period, Liberia’s results took longer due to its three-tier testing system for grades 6, 9, and 12, unlike other countries that typically tested only the final grade.

He further informed the media and the public that the official release of Liberia’s WAEC results for the 2024–2025 academic year is expected on or before August 15. Deputy Minister Philip warned against misinformation and stressed that the Ministry is actively tracking sources of false reports, reaffirming the government’s commitment to providing timely and truthful updates.