By: James Kamara-Manneh
The controversy surrounding the withholding of National Primary School Examination (NPSE) results has raised important questions about examination administration, school accountability and the wider state of Sierra Leone’s education system.
The NPSE is a critical examination in Sierra Leone’s basic education system because its outcome can determine a pupil’s transition from primary school into junior secondary education. Consequently, delays or decisions affecting the release of results can have serious consequences for pupils and their families.
Recent figures indicate that 1,927 NPSE results were set aside or withheld in 2026. However, the available information shows that the reasons were not limited to examination malpractice. A significant proportion was linked to administrative problems, particularly the failure of schools to submit Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS).
According to the information provided by Sallieu M. Kamara, Acting Head of Public Affairs at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), 1,648 results were set aside because relevant authorities failed to submit continuous assessment scores. He said 61 schools failed to submit the required scores for NPSE candidates.
Kamara also explained that seven private and government schools failed to pay examination fees after allowing their candidates to sit the examination. Their candidates’ results were consequently set aside. Meanwhile, 326 candidate results remain under investigation for alleged examination malpractice.
These figures provide an important distinction. While examination malpractice remains a concern, the majority of the 1,927 results initially set aside were reportedly connected to missing continuous assessment information rather than proven cheating.
The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education had earlier extended the deadline for schools to submit CASS information. The ministry reported that 86 percent of the 1,927 unpublished results were still affected by missing CASS scores at that stage.
The controversy has nevertheless exposed weaknesses that extend beyond the immediate question of whether results should be released.
When schools fail to submit continuous assessment scores on time, pupils can become caught between administrative failures and the examination authorities responsible for processing their results. For a child waiting to progress to the next stage of education, such delays can create unnecessary uncertainty.
The central issue, therefore, is not simply why results were withheld. It is also how quickly administrative problems and investigations can be resolved and what safeguards exist to ensure that innocent pupils do not lose valuable educational time.
WAEC has acknowledged that it does not want candidates’ results to remain withheld. Kamara said the organisation was not happy that candidates were affected and that WAEC had agreed with MBSSE and other stakeholders to release the majority of the results while schools submitted outstanding continuous assessment information.
This approach highlights the importance of separating administrative failures from individual wrongdoing. Where a pupil has not been implicated in malpractice, the system must ensure that the child does not bear the consequences of a problem created by a school or another authority.
Although most of the 2026 cases cited in the source material were linked to CASS and other administrative issues, examination malpractice remains a serious concern.
WAEC currently has 326 candidate results under investigation for alleged examination malpractice.
The issue becomes particularly serious when allegations involve teachers or other adults assisting pupils during examinations. Such conduct would undermine the purpose of an examination designed to measure what pupils themselves have learned.
Abraham Nicholas-Kamara, a lecturer at IPAM-USL, described the challenge facing WAEC as an “invisible enemy” because stakeholders have gradually undermined the education system. He argued that education has increasingly been transformed from a priority into a marketplace influenced by money and personal interests.
He further argued that teachers are facing pressure from parents, pupils, communities and government, while political, community and family interests have increasingly entered the education environment.
His concerns point to a broader question: what happens to the quality of education when examination success becomes more important than actual learning?
A pupil who receives a high examination score without acquiring the required knowledge and skills may obtain a certificate, but that achievement does not necessarily translate into genuine educational development.
The role of teachers is particularly important in this debate.
Teachers are expected to prepare pupils for examinations by providing the knowledge, skills and guidance necessary for them to succeed independently. When teachers instead become involved in examination malpractice or allow external pressure to influence assessment, the credibility of the entire education system is threatened.
Nicholas-Kamara argues that teachers have increasingly lost sight of their primary responsibility and that this is contributing to a wider national educational crisis.
The challenge, however, cannot simply be placed on teachers. The source material also identifies pressure from parents, pupils, communities and government. This suggests that examination malpractice and declining educational standards should be addressed as a systemic problem rather than blamed entirely on one group.
The CASS issue raises another important question about accountability.
If schools are required to submit continuous assessment information before examination results can be finalised, there must be effective mechanisms to ensure that schools meet their responsibilities within the prescribed deadlines.
The fact that 61 schools reportedly failed to submit CASS information shows that administrative weaknesses can have consequences for thousands of pupils.
There is therefore a need for clearer accountability at school level, timely monitoring by education authorities and stronger communication among schools, MBSSE and WAEC.
At the same time, any accountability mechanism should distinguish between institutions or officials responsible for administrative failures and pupils who had no control over those failures.
The withholding of examination results is not new in Sierra Leone. In 2022, 59 NPSE results were reportedly withheld over suspected irregularities, including impersonation, possession of foreign materials and collusion.
The recurrence of withheld results suggests that examination integrity and administrative compliance remain persistent challenges.
The situation is also not unique to the NPSE. The source material notes that 13,237 WASSCE results were withheld in 2025 because of examination issues. It also reports continuing concerns about continuous assessment, double registration, foundational literacy and examination malpractice.
These developments suggest that Sierra Leone’s examination challenges cannot be treated as isolated incidents. They form part of a broader conversation about the quality, credibility and accountability of the education system.
Whatever the cause of a withheld result, the interests of the affected children must remain central.
Most NPSE candidates are children at an important stage of their education. They should not be left in prolonged uncertainty because of administrative problems beyond their control.
Where there is credible evidence of malpractice involving an individual candidate, an investigation may be necessary. But where the problem is missing CASS, unpaid examination fees or another administrative failure, authorities should work quickly to resolve the matter without unnecessarily disrupting the pupil’s education.
The principle should be simple: administrative accountability should not become educational punishment for children who are not responsible for the failure.
The current controversy also presents an opportunity for MBSSE and WAEC to strengthen the examination system.
Schools need to understand their responsibilities and the consequences of failing to submit required information. Parents need clear information about the examination process. Pupils need protection from malpractice and undue pressure. Teachers need professional support and strong ethical standards. And examination authorities need systems capable of identifying irregularities while protecting candidates who have done nothing wrong.
The education ministry has already taken steps to address some of these concerns, including monitoring schools with missing data and extending deadlines to allow outstanding CASS information to be submitted.
The longer-term objective, however, should be to reduce the number of cases that reach the point where results have to be withheld in the first place.
The debate over the 1,927 NPSE results should therefore not end with the release of the results.
It should lead to a broader examination of the education system itself.
Why are schools failing to submit continuous assessment information? Why do allegations of examination malpractice continue to arise? What pressures are teachers facing? Are pupils being adequately prepared to learn rather than simply pass examinations? And are existing systems strong enough to protect the integrity of public examinations?
These questions matter because examination results are more than numbers. They influence the educational opportunities available to children and provide an indication of how effectively the education system is performing.
As Nicholas-Kamara warned, when pupils are allowed to pass examinations because of external pressures, the consequences eventually affect the entire society.
Sierra Leone therefore needs an examination system that is both credible and fair—one that does not tolerate cheating, but also does not allow administrative failures to unfairly punish innocent pupils.
The immediate priority should be to resolve the outstanding cases quickly and transparently. The bigger task is to address the institutional weaknesses that allowed the problem to arise in the first place.
Ultimately, the real measure of success should not be how many pupils pass an examination. It should be whether those pupils leave school with the knowledge, skills, discipline and confidence needed to succeed in life.
