The Ministry of Education (MOE) has denied Ghana’s intention to withdraw from the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The attention of the MOE was drawn to a video making rounds on social media, claiming that Ghana had withdrawn from West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) of WASSCE as claimed by a former President of Ghana.
A press statement made available to the Ghana News Agency and signed by the Public Relations Unit of the MOE, stated that the Headquarters of WAEC was and had always been in Accra, and that the current country rotational chair of the Council was Ghana, with Professor Ato Essuman as Chairman.
The statement said students sat for the same WASSCE as the other four member countries: Nigeria, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and had done so during the same time period until 2022.
“In fact, when the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the closure of schools globally including the West African Sub-region, Ghana led the other member countries to reopen schools and sat for the exams at the same time in 2020 and 2021, so, it cannot be said that Ghana has pulled out of the exams since 2016, as claimed by the former President,” the statement added.
It said following the re-opening of schools post-COVID-19, Ghana began running a transitional school calendar, with the academic year beginning in January and ending in December, in order not to shortchange the future leaders and to ensure that the students completed the syllabus prior to sitting for the WASSCE.
“Ghana, in 2022 and 2023, sat for the exams at a different time period than the other member countries,” it stressed.
The statement said in 2022 and 2023, the exams taken by the students were set by WAEC with the same international standardisation as the other member countries.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all the papers are compiled by subject officers across the five member countries where the subject officers are found, this means that the papers our students wrote are not necessarily set by Ghanaian subject officers unless that particular subject officer is located in Ghana
“After the exams, WAEC conducts the International Preliminary Coordination Meeting with Chief Examiners and team leaders from the member countries to finalise the Marking Schemes for marking, meaning that the standards and marking schemes are done with the member countries,” it said.
It added that Standard Fixing and Grade Award Meetings to set the Grade Boundaries were conducted by WAEC with participants from member countries for the various subjects.
The statement noted that over the past six years, students had consistently performed better in the WASSCE as a result of the notable interventions provided as part of the Free SHS policy.
It said at the International Excellence Awards, where WAEC awards high- performing candidates, Ghana had always competed since its inception, including 2021 and 2022.
The statement said in the 2022 Awards, two candidates from Ghana, Alex Opoku Manu and Benjamin Eyram Nana Kwame Degbey, both from St. James Seminary SHS, Sunyani, picked up the first and second prizes respectively whiles a candidate from Nigeria picked the third prize.
It said in the year 2020, Ghana recorded four hundred and eleven 8 A1s out of the 465 across West Africa.
The statement encouraged all stakeholders to disregard any information claiming that Ghana had pulled out of the WASSCE.
The MOE assured students, parents, guardians and the general public that the quality of education and examinations at all levels, including the WASSCE, would not be compromised.
GNA
SOF
10 Jan. 2024
