Accra, April 1, GNA - The West African Examinations Council has decided to introduce two new regulations to guide the conduct of its examinations.

The regulations, which will take effect from 2009, would apply to the May/June and November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Basic Examination Certificate Examination (BECE).

A statement issued by the Council and signed by Mrs Abena Sagoe, Principal Public Affairs Officer, said the regulations provided for the sanctioning of candidates who contravened instructions by writing with pencil instead of ink or shading in ink instead of pencil and candidates who failed to complete the cover page of the answer booklet as specified in the instructions.

The decision to introduce the new regulations was reached at the 56th Annual Council meeting of WAEC held in Banjul, The Gambia, which brought together participants from Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The statement said the Council also approved a revised French syllabus for WASSCE, which would be forwarded to schools with a three-year notice of examination.

The Council further gave awards to candidates who excelled in the WAEC examinations to serve as encouragement to other students to achieve academic excellence.

The statement said the Council also gave awards to five personalities for their outstanding contributions towards the achievement of the Council's objectives.

Mrs. Fatou Njie, the Chief Government Nominee of The Gambia was elected the Vice Chairman of the Council for the year 2008/2009. The statement said the Council had made giant strides in the deployment of Information Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance the efficiency of the Council's operations, especially in the areas of electronic registration of candidates of the WASSCE in Nigeria and Ghana.