Elvis Darko, editor of The NewsCenta newspaper, has called for a comprehensive overhaul of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), insisting that an independent review system is urgently needed to ensure accuracy and fairness in its assessment processes.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, December 4, Darko emphasized that the country can no longer rely solely on WAEC’s internal procedures, arguing that external verification has long been overdue. He warned that the lack of oversight has left many students exposed to avoidable marking and computation errors, which often go unnoticed and deny candidates the results they rightfully deserve.
“It is about time we look at WAEC so that after they finish, there should be an independent verification of the work done,” he said, pointing to inconsistent marking as a major concern. “Many papers are not marked properly. Some markers may not be in the right frame of mind, while others may simply assign incorrect marks.”
Darko stressed that the absence of independent scrutiny has created gaps that allow serious errors to slip through, jeopardizing students’ futures. He argued that WAEC’s work should no longer go unchecked, and that an external body should review results after marking.
“I think WAEC often gives wrong grades during the addition process,” he asserted, emphasizing that a thorough review of marked scripts by an independent team would likely uncover numerous long-overlooked discrepancies.
He further warned that without such reforms, many candidates will continue to suffer unnecessary emotional distress due to mistakes beyond their control. “Until we implement this, many people will continue to experience trauma. I believe WAEC has been wrongly failing a lot of students,” he cautioned.
