Denigrating WASSCE success for political gains is disappointing – Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education has strongly rebuffed former President John Dramani Mahama‘s recent claims of lax supervision and collusion in the West Africa Senior Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

In a statement released on Friday, the Ministry labelled Mahama’s comments as a “calculated attempt to downplay the great strides made by the Ministry in improving learning outcomes in the country.”

The Ministry highlighted the remarkable progress in WASSCE results, citing a substantial improvement from a 28.7 per cent score (A1-C6) in Integrated Science in 2015 to an impressive 66.80 percent achieved by 2023 WASSCE candidates under President Nana Akuffo Addo.

“We have made monumental progress, and over the past few years, WAEC has instituted several measures to curb exam malpractices during the BECE and WASSCE test administration,” the Ministry asserted. They emphasized the strict supervision measures implemented by WAEC in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service, ensuring the integrity of the examinations.

The statement clarified that candidates caught cheating faced severe consequences, with subject papers or entire exams being cancelled based on the nature of the malpractice. Invigilators and supervisors involved in malpractices were reported to law enforcement agencies and faced disciplinary proceedings, often resulting in termination from the Ghana Education Service.

The Ministry defended Ghana’s superior performance in the WASSCE, citing the highest-ever 8 A1s recorded in 2020 and consistent improvement over the past six years. They attributed this progress to interventions like the Free SHS policy, providing students with access to better-prepared teachers, core textbooks, remedial packages, and increased teaching hours.

“The Ministry of Education wishes to assure our students, parents, guardians, and the general public that the quality of education and examinations at all levels, including the WASSCE, was not and will not be compromised,” the statement concluded, urging stakeholders to disregard any information suggesting Ghana’s withdrawal from the WAEC exams for WASSCE.