By Kruah Thompson
MONROVIA, August 5, 2026 – The Head of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Liberia National Office, Dale Gbegbele Gbotoe, has dismissed as false reports circulating on social media claiming that provisional results for the 2026 national examinations have already been released.
Speaking Tuesday during the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing in Monrovia, Gbotoe assured the public that WAEC will officially release the 2026 examination results on or before August 14, 2026.
He urged students, parents, and the general public to disregard unverified information circulating online and rely only on official announcements from WAEC.
“It is impossible for the figures being circulated on social media to be accurate,” Gbotoe said, referring to claims that more than 600,000 candidates had already received provisional results.
The clarification comes as thousands of candidates across Liberia await the outcome of this year’s examinations, which are expected to determine admissions into universities and other higher learning institutions.
Gbotoe disclosed that this year’s national examinations were administered between April 27 and June 19, covering WAEC’s four examination programs.
He said 1,126 senior secondary schools presented candidates for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), including two schools in the Republic of Guinea that follow Liberia’s national curriculum.
According to him, the Government of Liberia paid the examination fees for 7,391 candidates, describing the intervention as significant support for students and their families.
Gbotoe also announced that, for the first time, school candidates were examined in technical and vocational education subjects under the WASSCE program.
The subjects included animal husbandry, auto electrical works, auto mechanics, basic electricity, bricklaying, catering, crop husbandry, metalwork, plumbing, pipe fitting, tailoring, telecommunications, and welding and fabrication.
He expressed confidence that candidates performed well in the new subjects, saying the results would demonstrate the importance of expanding technical and vocational education in Liberia.
Providing an overview of the examination process, Gbotoe said the examinations were conducted at 401 centers, including 400 across Liberia and one in the Republic of Guinea.
Of the total, 263 examination centers were located in Montserrado County, while 138 were situated in the rest of the country.
He added that more than 1,435 teachers and education personnel served as proctors and examination personnel, while 353 distribution depots were used to transport examination materials to rural areas.
Gbotoe described the administration of the examinations as successful, noting that there were no reported cases of examination paper leakage before any paper was administered.
He also highlighted the introduction of a new digital platform for capturing candidates’ information during the examination process. Although some schools experienced technical challenges, he said the issues did not compromise the credibility or integrity of the examinations.
Reaffirming WAEC’s commitment to transparency, Gbotoe assured candidates and parents that the results will be released on or before August 14 and urged the public to remain patient while ignoring misinformation circulating on social media.
