WAEC Reveals Complex Script Protection System – Audio

The Head of Public Affairs at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), John Kapi, has provided a detailed explanation regarding the Council’s rigorous measures in safeguarding examination scripts from potential bias, particularly concerning the distinction between scripts originating from public and private schools. Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem morning show, Mr. Kapi elucidated a complex system designed to prevent examiners from identifying the source of a candidate’s script, a point of significant concern amongst some private school stakeholders. The system operates on a fundamental principle: examiners are not provided with information identifying the school where a candidate’s script originated, nor are they allowed to mark scripts as belonging to one type of school versus another. He explained that, per the WAEC framework, an examiner does not possess this critical information, rendering them unable to differentiate between scripts from public and private establishments. ‘Per the WAEC system, an examiner doesn’t know whether the scripts are from a public or private school,’ he stated, emphasizing the deliberate design to treat scripts differently. He further elaborated that the system is implemented to prevent examiners from determining the origin of a script and marking it accordingly. ‘There is no way our system will allow someone to know that these scripts are from a private school and decide to mark them anyhow,’ he stressed, highlighting a crucial aspect of the process. Mr. Kapi explained that the answer scripts themselves are packaged before distribution to examiners, with the envelope containing only the centre number and the range of index numbers of candidates whose scripts are enclosed. The envelope itself is simply labelled with a centre number and the number of scripts. ‘What we use to pack the answer scripts are called script envelopes. The only thing we write on the envelope is a centre number and the number of scripts,’ he explained. He added that an examiner receiving a script envelope would only see the centre number and the number of scripts enclosed. ‘If you get a script envelope, it will show you the centre and the number of scripts enclosed. That is what you will see on the envelope,’ he said. Mr. Kapi underscored that while the candidate’s name and index number appear on the individual answer script, there is no indication of whether the candidate attends a public or private school. ‘If you open it, you will only see the names and index numbers on the scripts, but you won’t know whether the candidate is in a private or public school,’ he stated. His comments come amidst heightened scrutiny and allegations regarding unfair targeting of private schools following the 2026 BECE results, with some stakeholders expressing concerns about potentially unfairly weighted examination results. WAEC, however, maintains that its processes are guided by established examination rules and procedures and has challenged any allegations of deliberate targeting of private schools to provide concrete evidence to support the claims. The Council has stated that it actively monitors the examination results and has been working to ensure the integrity of the entire process.” ] ,

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