The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has clarified that it has received only GH¢47 million from the government for the conduct of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), countering claims of a larger payment.
Previously, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip, informed Parliament that the Finance Ministry had released GH¢80 million to WAEC for the BECE.
This statement came in response to concerns raised by Yusif Sulemana, the Member of Parliament for Bole-Bamboi, regarding the government’s outstanding debt to WAEC.
Initially, WAEC had only received GH₵2.3 million of the GH₵95.83 million required. This shortfall led the council to request at least 50% of the total amount to conduct the examination and additional funds to process and release the results.
The BECE is scheduled to take place from July 8 to July 15, 2024, at various centers across the country.
In an interview on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Friday, John Kapi, the Head of Public Relations at WAEC, clarified the financial situation.
He stated that the council received a warrant for about half the total amount on Friday afternoon, not the GH¢80 million as indicated by the Majority Chief Whip.
“They were supposed to have paid us GH¢95,837,306 and out of this, they have paid GH¢2,284,618. So we were expecting them to pay a balance of GH¢93,552,688 to us to enable us to conduct the examination,” Kapi explained.
He further detailed the payment history, noting that in 2023, the government made some payments but still owes GH¢698,500 in arrears. “Earlier on the 17th of May, we received GH¢2.2 million and then this afternoon we received a warrant for GH¢47,125,594. So that is about half of the total amount left to be paid to us,” he stated.