The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of students in public secondary schools in Ondo State due to unpaid debts, Peoples Gazette can report.

These students were among the candidates who participated in the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) across the state’s 18 local government areas.

The situation came to light on Tuesday after students who were waiting to apply to tertiary institutions found themselves unable to access their academic results on the WAEC website.

A student in the state, who preferred to remain anonymous, told The Gazette that she was shocked to discover her results were being withheld by WAEC due to the state’s indebtedness.

She recounted how she repeatedly logged into the website only to receive the same ‘indebted’ message from the examination body.

“I am one of the candidates who sat for the WASSCE in the state. Some of my mates started noticing this yesterday (Monday), but when I logged in today, I was surprised to see that my result was also withheld due to indebtedness. It’s just annoying, but the school told us they will address it,” she said in a chat, adding that she had registered for nine different subjects in the recently held exam.

The Gazette’s findings revealed that the development has left many parents in the state distressed as they await clarity on the fate of their children, who are preparing for the next stage of their academic journey.

A teacher in one of the affected accredited schools explained that the state government had been notified of the situation and assured that it would be addressed soon.

“It is normal practice in the state for the government to pay the fees, but we don’t know why the current administration has not fulfilled this obligation. We have notified the authorities, and we will take it up from there,” he told one of our reporters.

Responding to inquiries about the issue, the commissioner for education, science, and technology, Olaolu Akindolire, attributed the situation to logistical challenges.

In a statement issued through the ministry’s spokesperson, Olaoluwa Meshack, Mr Akindolire said that the issues with accessing the results would soon be resolved.

He noted that the state government had already addressed the issue with WAEC, adding that a total of five hundred and fifty million Naira had been paid for 26,088 students who sat for the 2024 WASSCE in the state’s public schools.

According to him, “The Governor has also approved the payment of the remaining One Hundred and Fifty-Eight Million, Seven Hundred and Sixteen Thousand Naira for the 2024 WASSCE registration fees for students in public secondary schools.”