NUGS demands student representation on WAEC’s exams, investigative committees

The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has expressed its approval of the release of the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results, while simultaneously calling for immediate reforms to ensure student representation in the decision-making processes of national examinations.

On Saturday, August 23, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) announced the provisional results, revealing that 895 results had been cancelled and 1,333 are still withheld.

In a statement released on Sunday, August 24, NUGS congratulated the candidates, parents, teachers, and all stakeholders for their efforts, and praised both WAEC and the Ghana Education Service (GES) for the efficient management and prompt release of the examination results.

Nevertheless, the Union raised concerns regarding the lack of student representation on key WAEC committees, such as the Ghana Examinations Committee and the WAEC Investigative Committee, which are responsible for decisions on cancellations and investigations into malpractice.

“It is worrying that the Ghana Examination Committee of WAEC, which takes critical decisions such as the cancellation and withholding of results, does not have a single student representative,” the statement read.

“Even more troubling is the fact that the WAEC Investigative Committee — which probes allegations of malpractice — equally excludes the very constituency most affected by its findings: the students.”

NUGS contended that the exclusion of students compromises transparency, fairness, and accountability within the examination system, labeling the scenario as a “democratic deficit” in the governance of education.

The Union is therefore demanding:

Immediate inclusion of student representatives on the WAEC Awards and Examiners’ Appointment Committee.
Student membership on the WAEC Investigative Committee to ensure fairness and trust.
A permanent framework guaranteeing student participation in all national examination-related decision-making.

“Accountability in education must be inclusive and participatory. We cannot continue to discuss and decide the future of students without the voices of students themselves,” NUGS stressed.

The declaration, endorsed by NUGS President Daniel Korley Botchway and General Secretary Bismark Yaw Ofori, called on WAEC, the Ministry of Education, and various stakeholders to take prompt action in order to foster trust and credibility within Ghana’s examination system.