Parliament Flags Exam Malpractices & Data Irregularities In Schools
By JKM
The Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Basic and Senior Secondary Education has raised serious concerns over examination malpractice, irregular student data uploads and the high fees charged by some private schools during an engagement with officials of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Parliament.
Chairperson of the committee, Hon. Rebecca Yei Sam, warned that the issues threaten the credibility of the country’s education system and require urgent intervention.
Speaking during the meeting, Hon. Sam, emphasized the importance of Members of Parliament maintaining strong engagement with communities and schools, noting that their presence reassures constituents that their concerns are being addressed.
She disclosed that committee members conducted visits to several schools, particularly in Western Urban District and Western Rural District, where they discovered that many institutions were lagging behind in uploading candidate data required for examinations.
According to her, in some areas only 28 schools had completed the mandatory data uploads at the time of the committee’s visit, a situation she described as alarming. She warned that the rush by some schools to meet deadlines could result in inaccurate or incomplete entries.
Hon. Sam, stressed that government should not be spending public funds on examination fees for candidates whose details were improperly uploaded.
The committee chair also raised concerns about possible examination leakages, explaining that when candidates across different centers produce identical answers, it raises suspicion that some may have had prior access to the examination questions.
“These practices undermine the credibility of the education system and compromise the quality of learning,” she noted.
She further called for stronger monitoring of examination centers and the accreditation of authorized monitors, adding that reports suggest some individuals are gaining access to examination centers using unofficial badges.
The committee also intends to review the distribution and location of examination centers to ensure they are accessible and properly supervised.
Another issue highlighted during the engagement was the requirement for candidates to have a National Identification Number (NIN). Hon. Kamara questioned why some pupils still lack the identification numbers despite efforts to introduce them in schools, noting that the system would help track students and prevent duplicate or fraudulent entries.
Committee members also raised concerns about the large discrepancies between Continuous Assessment Scores (CAS) submitted by schools and the number of candidates who actually appear for examinations, warning that such inconsistencies could indicate attempts to manipulate the system.
Lawmakers further criticized some private schools for imposing excessive charges on students under the guise of examination payments.
In one case cited during the meeting, a school reportedly registered 179 candidates for an examination, but only 82 were present during verification, raising serious questions about the accuracy of the data submitted. Pupils at the school reportedly told lawmakers they were paying as much as five million Leones in combined fees.
Responding to the concerns, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, acknowledged the challenges within the system, but assured the committee that reforms are underway to address them.
He revealed that government efforts to clean up the examination system have already identified thousands of duplicate candidate entries that could have cost the state millions of dollars if left unchecked.
The minister also highlighted ongoing reforms such as curriculum development, teacher training initiatives and improved monitoring mechanisms aimed at strengthening the quality of education. According to him, more than 28,000 teachers have recently been trained in modern foundational learning techniques designed to improve literacy outcomes.
Officials from West African Examinations Council also addressed the committee, explaining that while examination leakages are rare, one of the major challenges arises when candidates photograph question papers during exams and share them through mobile phones.
WAEC disclosed that new measures—including serialized examination papers and plans for computer-based testing—are being introduced to reduce malpractice and strengthen the integrity of the examination process.
The Parliamentary Oversight Committee concluded the session by assuring stakeholders that it will continue working closely with the ministry and examination authorities to improve transparency, accountability and quality within the education sector.
Lawmakers emphasized that tackling malpractice, regulating private school fees and strengthening data management systems will be critical to restoring public confidence in Sierra Leone’s education system.
