-28,133 Obtained Credit Passes, 8,817 Received Ordinary Passes
By Jamesetta D. Williams
MONROVIA-The West African Examinations Council (WAEC-Liberia) finally released the results of the 2026 national examinations Thursday following few days of delay, with officials reporting strong performances at the lower levels but significant disparities in several senior high school subjects.
WAEC-Liberia Head Dale G. Gbotoe, who announced theresults at the Ministry of Information disclosed that 38,977 candidates sat the Literacy examination under the Liberia National Assessment Test.
Of that number, he continued that 28,133 obtained credit passes, while 8,817 received ordinary passes, producing an overall success rate of approximately 95.19 percent.
In Numeracy, 38,026 candidates sat the examination, with 9,300 obtaining credit passes and 5,366 securing ordinary passes.
Because candidates are required to pass both subjects to qualify for certification, WAEC reported approximately 36,057 successful candidates, representing about 93 percent of those who sat the assessment.
Gbotoe said the three-year comparison showed an upward trend in performance at the national assessment level.
At the sixth-grade level, candidates were assessed in General Science, Language Arts, Mathematics and Social Studies, with General Science recording a pass rate of approximately 95.66 percent and the other subjects also recording relatively strong performances.
At the Junior High School level, approximately 49,153 candidates sat the examination, with 40,958 successfully passing.
The result represents an overall pass rate of approximately 83.33 percent.
Gbotoe said Junior High School performance has remained relatively stable over the past three years, although WAEC wants to see further improvement in future examinations.
The picture was more mixed at the senior high school level.
General Science recorded a pass rate of approximately 86.13 percent, while Language Arts recorded 79 percent.
Mathematics recorded approximately 88.25 percent, while Social Studies posted about 83.55 percent.
Gbotoe said a comparison of results over the past three years showed declining performance in some subjects, particularly General Science and Language Arts, while Mathematics showed improvement compared with the previous year.
Individual subject results also revealed significant disparities.
Biology recorded approximately 70.37 percent, Chemistry 75.24 percent, Economics about 75 percent, English Language 75.62 percent, and Geography approximately 78.15 percent.
The lowest performance was recorded in Literature in English, which posted a pass rate of approximately 21.98 percent.
The particularly low performance in Literature in English has raised questions about teaching quality, student preparation and the availability of qualified teachers in specialized subjects.
Gbotoe said WAEC would rely on its Chief Examiners’ Reports to better understand the reasons behind poor performance in particular subjects.
He said the reports provide detailed analysis of candidates’ common mistakes and areas where students experienced difficulties.
According to Gbotoe, the poor results cannot be attributed to one factor without further analysis.
He pointed to difficulties in understanding examination questions, reading comprehension, examination pressure and inadequate preparation as possible contributing factors.
He also raised concerns about the availability and quality of qualified teachers in some subject areas.
Gbotoe said WAEC has engaged the Ministry of Education on teacher competency and preparation and questioned whether teachers handling specialized subjects have received adequate professional training.
WAEC reported that approximately 55,857 candidates sat the senior high school examination.
Of that number, 3,245 candidates, representing approximately 5.81 percent, obtained credit passes in both Mathematics and English.
A further 2,268 candidates, representing approximately 4.06 percent, obtained credit passes in Mathematics, English and three additional subjects.
WAEC also reported that approximately 3,741 candidates met the new requirement of passing five subjects, including Mathematics and English, making them eligible for graduation under the revised certification requirements.
Gbotoe described the improvement in the number of candidates obtaining credit passes in Mathematics and English as encouraging.
The WAEC-Liberia head also highlighted strong performances in vocational and technical subjects.
He said several practical and technical subjects recorded exceptionally high pass rates, with some approaching 100 percent.
Gbotoe encouraged schools to embrace technical and vocational education, arguing that the results demonstrate that students can perform strongly when given opportunities to pursue practical areas of study.
Gbotoe identified examination malpractice as another challenge facing the education system.
He said pressure from candidates, families and society to achieve high examination results can contribute to attempts by some students to cheat.
WAEC, he said, continues to implement measures to prevent malpractice and hopes the problem can be significantly reduced.
Gbotoe reminded candidates and institutions that WAEC has a formal process for challenging examination results.
Candidates or institutions dissatisfied with their results may request a review by following established procedures.
For school candidates, requests must be submitted through the appropriate school or institution, while private candidates may approach WAEC directly in accordance with its procedures.
He encouraged stakeholders with legitimate concerns to use the formal review process rather than being afraid to question their results.
Gbotoe also addressed concerns about accessing examination results.
He acknowledged that one of WAEC’s results platforms experienced problems during the previous year, resulting in some information not being accurately reflected.
The issue was identified and addressed, he said, with the Council subsequently strengthening its systems to improve the accuracy and reliability of results displayed across its platforms.
Schools can access the results of their candidates, while individual candidates can access their own results through the designated systems.
WAEC also clarified the position of candidates who previously failed examinations and wish to retake subjects.
Gbotoe said unsuccessful candidates are allowed to return and sit the examination again as private candidates.
However, candidates presented as school candidates must be officially enrolled in the schools presenting them for the examination.
He said WAEC is prepared to support the Ministry of Education in enforcing policies governing the presentation of school candidates.
On whether rural schools performed better than urban schools, Gbotoe said several of the highest-performing candidates came from schools in Monrovia, while schools outside the capital also recorded notable performances.
He said access to qualified teachers, learning materials and other educational resources could influence differences in school performance, although WAEC does not yet have sufficient evidence to conclusively attribute the variations to specific factors.
At the senior high school level, SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College was identified among the top-performing schools.
Gbotoe said WAEC would continue studying performance trends and encourage schools to learn from institutions producing strong results.
Concluding the briefing at the Ministry of Information, Gbotoe again apologized to candidates, parents, schools and other stakeholders for the delay in releasing the 2026 examination results.
He thanked President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, schools, teachers, parents, candidates, examination personnel, security institutions and the media for their cooperation.
The release of the 2026 results now provides education authorities with a new set of data that could shape discussions around teacher quality, student preparation, examination performance and the expansion of technical and vocational education in Liberia.
While the overall results show encouraging performances at the lower levels, the sharp decline in some senior high school subjects particularly the 21.98 percent pass rate in Literature in English is likely to intensify calls for a closer examination of teaching quality, student preparedness and the broader learning environment.
Meanwhile, the WAEC boss apologized to candidates, parents, schools, teachers and other stakeholders for the delay in releasing the results.
The results were initially expected to be released on August 14, but Gbotoe said circumstances beyond the Council’s control prevented WAEC from meeting the earlier deadline.
“We want to extend our apologies to all stakeholders, especially the schools, candidates, parents and everyone associated with the examination,” Gbotoe said.
He acknowledged the frustration caused by the delay but assured the public that WAEC remains committed to improving its examination administration and results-release process.
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