Sierra Leone’s WASSCE results reveal learning crisis
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sierra Leone Telegraph
Illustrative image · Charlotte May · Pexels · Licence PexelsSierra Leone’s 2026 WASSCE results show more passes, but 47,454 candidates had their results withheld over suspected malpractice and fewer than one in ten obtained a credit in English. For Mohamed Ibrahim Justice Ganawah, the figures reveal a system that prioritises passing over learning, according to the Sierra Leone Telegraph.
Sierra Leone’s 2026 WASSCE results show an increase in the number of candidates passing, but also a learning crisis: 47,454 results were withheld over suspected malpractice and fewer than one in ten candidates obtained a credit in English. Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Conrad Sackey announced the results on 27 October, reports the Sierra Leone Telegraph in an opinion piece by Mohamed Ibrahim Justice Ganawah.
The author, who sat and later taught the WASSCE at St Edward’s Secondary School in Freetown, believes the figures reveal a system in which passing the examination takes precedence over acquiring knowledge. He cites the performances of St Edward’s, Awada in Bo and Sierra Leone Grammar School in Murray Town as examples of schools where excellence remains possible through the work of pupils and teachers.
The announcement came after the decision to withhold the results of 47,454 candidates. The government subsequently called for the WASSCE results to be published within 21 days, a measure reported on 31 October by Sierra Leone demands WASSCE results within 21 days.
