BECE Topper’s SHS Dreams in Jeopardy as WAEC Withholds Maths Result, Assigns Mystery Aggregate of 54
A promising 14-year-old from the remote town of Lambussie in Ghana’s Upper West Region is on the brink of missing out on her dream Senior High School admission due to a withheld Mathematics result from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Kpetaah Rejoice, an outstanding Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidate who aspires to become a lawyer, has been assigned an inexplicable aggregate score of 54 by the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), placing her at Wenchi Senior High School—a school she never chose.
Rejoice sat for her BECE in 2025 at Royal Star Community School in Nandom, where she shone brightly in most subjects. Her provisional results boast Grade 1s in English Language, Dagare, and Career Technology; Grade 2 in Social Studies and Religious and Moral Education (R.M.E.); Grade 3 in Integrated Science and French; and Grade 4 in Creative Arts. These stellar performances positioned her for placement in one of her preferred schools, but her Mathematics grade remains pending without any explanation from WAEC, derailing the entire process.
The CSSPS, which automates placements based on results and choices, inexplicably calculated her aggregate at 54 despite the incomplete data. This has thrust Rejoice into an unwanted assignment at Wenchi SHS, far from her home and aspirations. “This isn’t fair to her hard work,” said her mother, Agnes Tang, who has been scrambling for answers alongside the school’s management. Royal Star Community School has lodged formal complaints, urging the Ministry of Education for swift intervention as the reporting deadline for second-cycle institutions fast approaches on October 21.
Efforts to seek clarity from WAEC’s Upper West Regional office have hit a wall, with officials citing ongoing investigations into irregularities as a common hurdle this year. In a statement to media outlets, WAEC expressed bewilderment at the aggregate calculation, confirming that Rejoice’s full results—including Mathematics—are yet to be finalized. “Pending results are a recurring issue in the 2025 BECE cycle, and we assure resolution within the stipulated period,” the body noted, referencing broader challenges like the cancellation of 895 entire results and withholding of 1,333 others due to detected malpractices.
Provisional BECE results were released on August 23, but cases like Rejoice’s persist amid scrutiny of over 1,240 subject-specific withholdings.
Rejoice’s plight highlights systemic delays plaguing this year’s examinations, where technical glitches and irregularity probes have left hundreds of candidates in limbo.
As the clock ticks toward the weekend deadline, advocates are calling on WAEC and the Ministry to expedite releases to safeguard the futures of bright students like her. Without the Maths result, Rejoice’s path to pursuing law remains blocked, turning what should be a celebratory milestone into a desperate plea for equity in Ghana’s education system
