WAEC withholds 78-year-old candidate's exam result
Pa Lamin Turay's 2026 WASSCE result is among 47,454 withheld over suspected malpractice.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result of 78-year-old Pa Lamin Turay. Turay, who returned to formal education in 2019 at age 71, sat the exam as a regular candidate. His result is one of 47,454 withheld by WAEC for suspected examination malpractice, representing 23.6 per cent of the 200,756 candidates' submitted results.
Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Conrad Sackey confirmed on 27 October that 47,454 candidates, including 26,735 females and 20,719 males, had results withheld due to suspected irregularities. He stated that withholding a result does not confirm guilt and WAEC will investigate each case. Unverified grades circulating on social media suggest Turay obtained C6 in Christian Religious Studies and Mathematics, B3 in Government, C5 in History, D7 in Literature, E8 in Agricultural Science, and F9 in English Language and Health Science.
The 2026 WASSCE results also highlighted a national challenge in English Language performance, with 63.33 per cent of candidates failing and only 9.77 per cent achieving a credit pass. This has raised concerns about English proficiency for higher education. The University of Makeni (UNIMAK) has introduced a special provisional admission for candidates who did not secure a credit in English Language.
Why it mattersThe withholding of results affects 47,454 candidates, including Pa Lamin Turay, and raises concerns about the integrity of the examination system and English language proficiency for students.