The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and the West African Examination Council (WAEC) have successfully conducted the National Primary School Examination (NPSE), the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certification Examination (WASSCE) amidst the electoral calendar.
A number of citizens across the country were concerned when the electoral calendar was announced with the polling day for Sierra Leone’s general election slated for 24th June 2023. Parents were concerned about their children’s safety during the campaign period.
The MBSSE engaged in a robust media campaign in calling on players in the political landscape to preach and practice peaceful elections in the interest of the children.
“It is our responsibility to keep asking citizens to vote their choices and not engage in disruptive behavior that can affect the future of our children,” the then Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Dr. Moinina David Sengeh tweeted.
Wednesday 2nd August 2023 saw the completion of the BECE, which was the last public examination to be conducted.
The 2023 BECE that started on Monday 24th July saw a total of 130,857 candidates registering for the examination with 67,107 (51.28%) are girls and 63,750 (48.72%) are boys.
The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) comes at the end of formal basic education in Sierra Leone. It is administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Pupils nationwide sat the NPSE on Saturday 7th May this year.
The 2023 National Primary School Examination (NPSE) results were released by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) on Saturday 15th July 2023.
The results received were for 4,790 primary schools compared to 4,635 in 2022. The entry figure comprised 80,129 (48.9%) boys and 83,731 (51.1%) girls compared with 79,617 (49.1%) boys and 82,451 (50.9%) girls in 2022.
The WASSCE was taken in May and June safely and peacefully even though the elections were conducted in June with a lot of campaigning going on during this period.
