WHO INVIGILATES THE INVIGILATORS?

CALL ON: The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Sierra Leone; the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education; and the Parliamentary Committee responsible for Education

47,454 young Sierra Leoneans are waiting for answers. Their examination results have been withheld over suspected malpractice, but how will the authorities determine who is responsible and who should be cleared? Their futures deserve more than uncertainty. They deserve transparent investigations, fair decisions, and timely justice.

In October 2026, Sierra Leone's Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, announced that 47,454 candidates had their WASSCE results withheld over suspected examination malpractice.

That is 47,454 young people who finished secondary school and are now stuck. They cannot enroll in university, start vocational training, apply for scholarships, or compete for jobs. They do not know what they are accused of, what evidence exists, or when, or whether, they will get answers.

Every day of delay carries a cost. A young person who loses their educational path, their hope, and their daily structure becomes more vulnerable to exploitation, crime, drug use, and sexual exploitation, including being pushed into prostitution. This is not only a crisis for individual families. It is a crisis for Sierra Leone's future.

Suspicion is not proof of guilt.

Examination malpractice is real, and authorities are right to address it. But a fair system does not punish first and explain later. WAEC's online irregularities portal tells affected candidates only that their results have been withheld for alleged malpractice and that they must report to a WAEC office with their head of school. It does not tell them:

• what they are specifically accused of
• what evidence supports the allegation
• how long the investigation will take
• how they can challenge the decision

Young people are being asked to defend themselves against charges they have not been shown.

The Minister has publicly promised investigations, expedited decisions, and safeguards for fairness. Those promises must now become clear procedures that every affected student and family can understand and use.

We call on WAEC and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education to act now:

1. Publish the rules.
2. Make public the procedures, evidentiary standards, and timelines that govern withheld results.
3. Tell every student what they are accused of. Inform each affected candidate of the specific allegation and the evidence, and give them a real opportunity to respond.
4. Investigate quickly, with a firm deadline. Set and publish a deadline for resolving cases, so no student waits indefinitely while opportunities slip away.
5. Hold the right people responsible. Investigate individual responsibility fairly, including the conduct of examination officials, supervisors, and schools, rather than penalizing students for failures that were not theirs.
6. Report progress publicly. Publish regular anonymized figures showing how many withheld results have been released, canceled, or remain under investigation.
7. Guarantee a fair appeal. Establish accessible petition and review mechanisms, with written reasons for any adverse decision.

We are not asking to ignore malpractice. We are asking for a system that is transparent, fair, and fast: one that punishes wrongdoing based on evidence and releases the results of innocent candidates without delay.

Sierra Leone cannot afford to lose a generation to uncertainty. Integrity in examinations matters. So do fairness, transparency, and accountability.

We also call upon Sierra Leone's international education development partners, particularly the World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), to engage the Government of Sierra Leone on the transparency, fairness, and accountability of the 2026 WASSCE malpractice investigation process.

These institutions have invested substantial resources in strengthening Sierra Leone's education system. We urge them to ensure affected candidates receive clear information about allegations, meaningful opportunities to respond, and timely, evidence-based decisions.

Investments in education must be accompanied by systems that protect students' rights and educational opportunities.

Sign this petition to tell the authorities: 47,454 students deserve answers, and they deserve them now.

• Every student deserves due process.
• Every allegation deserves a fair investigation.
• Every young person deserves a future.

Initiated by the African Women's Research Initiative for Social Empowerment