Liberian students siting this year’s West African Examination will have to comply with new sets of examination regulations.
By: Kruah Thompson
MONROVIA, Liberia: The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has introduced a series of new mandatory regulations and exam procedures for the upcoming 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), scheduled to run from Thursday, May 15 to June 10, 2025.
Speaking during a regular press briefing organized by the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) on Tuesday May 13, 2025, in Monrovia, WAEC Liberia Head, Mr. Dale Gbotoe, outlined the key changes.
He emphasized that while students will sit for the same subjects, individual exam questions will vary slightly across schools to minimize malpractice.
“Though all candidates will be doing the same test, their questions will be slightly different,” Gbotoe said. He explained that, for example, while students from J.W. Gibson High School may sit for Mathematics on a given day, those at a nearby institution like Adventist High School will also write Mathematics, but with a different set of questions.
“This approach has been tried in other countries and proven effective, so we are implementing it for four core subjects this year,” he added.
Gbotoe also announced that the Ministry of Education, in consultation with WAEC, has approved the inclusion of technical and vocational subjects in the exam scope, and Liberian candidates will be sitting for nine subjects in total.
Outlining the New Mandatory Guidelines Mr.Gbotoe said that WAEC has set strict rules for candidate behavior and exam administration
According to him, Candidates must arrive before 7:30 a.m. for morning sessions and by 12:00 p.m. for afternoon papers. Further adding that Students are required to follow all lawful instructions from exam supervisors and submit to a physical search.
Additionally, he says, only pencils are to be used on objective answer sheets, while black or blue pens should be used for essays. And “Candidates must wear their official school uniforms.”
Speaking on the Prohibited Actions for the exam WAEC boss issued a stern warning against several violations.
He says absolutely no camping is allowed before or during the exam period, and candidates must not pay any fees to individuals under the guise of “flexibility” charges.
Cell phones, textbooks, prepared notes, or any foreign materials are strictly banned from examination halls, and accordingly, all script tampering, substitution, and stealing of answer sheets are prohibited.
Moreover, he added that students must not tear question papers, fail to submit answer sheets, or seek assistance from supervisors, teachers, or fellow candidates. However, he says Insulting or assaulting examination staff is strictly forbidden.
Meanwhile Mr. Gbotoe disclosed that the Liberian government has paid the WAEC fees for all 53,210 candidates registered to sit this year’s exams.
“A total of 1,078 senior high schools are participating, with 1,045 based in Liberia and three in Guinea. Previously, he says, the Guinean schools would travel to Ganta for the exams, but arrangements have now been made, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for them to take their test in their own regions.’
According to him, this year, 379 examination centers will be used across 155 schools, and of the amount of 53,210 candidates, 18,201 are from public schools and 36,428 from private institutions. Notably, 800 of the schools are private.
Looking ahead, Gbotoe revealed that public school students will take their exams online starting next year, as the Ministry of Education has equipped these institutions with computers.
However, he says all Private schools, will continue using the traditional paper-based method until they build the necessary digital infrastructure.
Meanwhile, WAEC has assured the public that these reforms aim to ensure fairness, reduce malpractice, and modernize the examination process across West Africa. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
