GES says three-year-students adequately prepared for WASSCE

Authorities of the Secondary Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has assured parents that they have adequately prepared students of the three year Senior High School (SHS) system to write the upcoming West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The Reverend Simon Asige, Director of the Secondary Division of the GES gave the assurance at the 65th speech and prize giving day of the Ahantaman Girls Senior high School in Sekondi.

The speech day was held on the theme “developing the female child education, a collaborative effort of all stakeholders”.

He allayed the fears of parents that the three year students would not perform well, and urged them to advise their wards to avoid examination malpractices.

Rev. Asige described this year’s WASSCE examination as unprecedented because the whole world was watching Ghana as to how the combined two different year groups would excel in the examination.

In view of this, the GES has put measures in place to ensure an incident free programme , and admonished parents and guardians to support the tutors to counsel their wards to behave in the examination rooms.

He said some of the measures taken include the early vacation of the SHS in order to pave way for enough classrooms for the final year students to write their examination.

The Secondary Education Director cautioned that detectors would be installed in the schools to expose students who conceal foreign materials on them.

He said it was not pleasant that 3,000 students had their results cancelled due to examination malpractice and asked students to guard against that.

Touching on the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), the Education Director hinted that considering the concerns of parents and guardians the examination would be written in June instead of April.

He said since education is a shared responsibility, pains need to be taken for students to acquire the necessary skills.

He entreated students to let “discipline be their guiding principle and make the best out of the opportunity they have gotten.”

Mrs Mercy Ocloo, headmistress of the school said the school started as a mixed private commercial entity with five students in 1948 and came under the Ghana Education Service in 1965. The school now has a student population of 1,700.

She however, said the status of the school was changed in November 2010 from a co-educational institution to a girl’s school under the name Ahantaman Girls’ SHS.

Mrs Ocloo told the parents and guardians to advice their wards to obey and respect the school rules.

The headmistress said the schools lack a modern science block and appealed to the authorities to show concern.

She expressed gratitude to some institutions for supporting the school in various ways.
Students who excelled in various fields were given awards and prizes.

Source: GNA