By Amos Harris
IPNEWS: Confusion and frustration have gripped thousands of Liberian 12th-grade students following the failure of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC-Liberia) to release the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results within the timelines earlier announced by its leadership.
The latest controversy intensified on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, after WAEC-Liberia appeared to announce that the 2026 WASSCE results would be released at the Ministry of Information.
The announcement, reportedly posted on August 15, was later deleted without a public explanation, leaving students, parents, and schools uncertain about when the long-awaited results will actually be available.
The development has raised questions about WAEC-Liberia’s communication and planning, particularly because the institution’s National Head, Dale Gbegbele Gbotoe, had previously provided a specific timeline for the results.
At a Ministry of Information press briefing on August 5, Gbotoe told the public that the 2026 WASSCE results would be released “on or before August 14, 2026.”
That deadline passed without the results being released, creating growing anxiety among candidates whose university admissions and other educational opportunities may depend on their examination results.
Rather than receiving a clear explanation for the delay, students have instead been confronted with conflicting announcements and the subsequent removal of WAEC-Liberia’s latest public notice.
Gbotoe had also warned the public against relying on unofficial examination results circulating on social media.
He reportedly dismissed the figures being circulated at the time, saying it was impossible for the figures to be accurate.
However, the failure to provide an updated and definitive release date has now created another information gap for the very students WAEC is expected to serve.
The 2026 WASSCE examinations were administered from April 27 through June 19, with 1,126 senior secondary schools presenting candidates, including two schools in neighboring Guinea.
The scale of the examination makes timely and transparent communication particularly important, given the large number of students awaiting their academic outcomes.
Questions have also emerged over government financing for the examinations.
By August 18, the government had reportedly paid examination fees for 7,391 candidates, yet students and parents were still waiting for clarity on when the results would be published.
The passing of the previously announced deadline without a detailed explanation has only heightened public concern.
Gbotoe’s absence from the scheduled Ministry of Information briefing at the Charles Gbenyon Hall on Tuesday further fueled criticism.
With expectations that WAEC-Liberia would be represented during the announcement of the results, his absence, combined with the deletion of the earlier announcement, has prompted questions about whether the examination body was adequately prepared to meet its own publicly announced timeline.
This is not the first time WAEC-Liberia has faced scrutiny over examination results. In previous years, the institution withheld the results of more than 39,000 students over alleged examination fraud and irregularities.
Gbotoe had said at the time that the affected results would only be released following a review by the Liberia Examination Committee.
Ahead of the 2026 examinations, Gbotoe also warned schools against unauthorized fees and the practice of “camping,” threatening possible cancellation of entire school results for violations.
With WAEC now facing criticism over its own communication, students and parents are demanding the same level of accountability and clarity from the examination body.
Until an official release date is announced, thousands of candidates remain in uncertainty over results that could determine their next step in education
