WAEC Controller Dismisses Claims of Bias Against Private Schools in BECE Marking

Upper West Regional WAEC Controller, Donald Tuor, has dismissed claims by the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) that private schools are treated unfairly in the marking of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), insisting that all schools are assessed using the same standards.

Speaking on Kangyiri Ansuma, the morning show on Kangyiri Radio, Mr. Tuor said there is no preferential treatment for either public or private schools during the examination marking process.

According to him, the concerns being raised by GNAPS are unfounded, as the examination system is designed to ensure fairness for every candidate regardless of the type of school attended.

“GNAPS are crying when there is none. We do not show preferential treatment to any school, whether private or public. We are expected to treat every school fairly,” he stated.

Mr. Tuor explained that there are no separate examiners assigned to mark scripts from public schools and those from private schools.

“We do not have examiners who mark public school scripts and others who mark private school scripts. The same examiners mark scripts from both public and private schools,” he said.

He further explained that the BECE grading system is based on candidates’ performance relative to established standards for each subject, rather than on fixed score ranges.

According to him, only a small proportion of candidates attain the highest grade in a subject.

“Only about four per cent of students can obtain Grade One in a particular subject. A candidate may score 90 marks in one subject and receive Grade Three, while another candidate may score 80 marks in a different subject and obtain Grade One,” he explained.

Mr. Tuor said this variation occurs because grades are determined separately for each subject based on overall performance and the grading standards applied, rather than by comparing raw scores across different subjects.

He urged the public to have confidence in the examination process and encouraged stakeholders to seek a better understanding of the grading system before making allegations of bias.