Best wishes to our WASSCE candidates

The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates (SC) is underway, with 461,640 candidates across the country participating in the Oral English examination.

While the practical aspect of the examination, started on August 4, the main examination being taken by Ghanaian candidates only, is starting today, marking the fourth consecutive year of the "Ghana Only" WASSCE.

This anomaly has been a subject of concern to parents, guardians and Ghanaians in general, as other member countries of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) – Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and The Gambia – have reverted to their traditional May/June examination calendar after the COVID-19 pandemic. Ghana, however, has been operating a transitional calendar, which seems to be taking unnecessarily too long.

The Daily Graphic had hoped that the 2024 WASSCE would be the last time our candidates would write a Ghana-only examination.

Unfortunately, despite assurances in 2023 that Ghana would rejoin the rest of the WAEC member countries for the June/July calendar in 2024, the trend has continued.

It is the considered view of the Daily Graphic that our candidates should join the rest of the WAEC community in 2026.

This would not only align Ghana's academic calendar with the rest of the region but also provide a more cohesive and standardised examination process.

As the examination takes off, the Daily Graphic commends the government for making available enough funds for the conduct of the examination, enabling WAEC to dispatch depot keepers and materials to their respective centres in time.

We also wish to join WAEC, the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES), and other stakeholders in wishing the candidates well in the examination.

However, the Daily Graphic notes that WAEC's annual caution against examination malpractice has become a ritual, with some candidates and invigilators continuing to indulge in malpractices despite the warnings.

We urge candidates to take the examination seriously, read instructions carefully, and avoid engaging in any form of malpractice.

Furthermore, the Daily Graphic cautions candidates to be wary of rogue website operators who may attempt to defraud them by using question papers from other member countries as "leaked papers." Candidates should rely on what they have learnt and avoid parting with money in the name of securing "apo."

We also remind examination officials of the warning issued by the Education Ministry that anyone caught indulging in examination malpractice would be dealt with severely.

We urge these officials to allow candidates to do independent work, especially now that the examination questions are serialised.

The role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in ensuring the credibility of the examination is crucial.

Rather than rushing to the media or social media to announce any leakage, CSOs should critically analyse and verify the facts before taking action.

By working with WAEC, they can help track down culprits and ensure a smooth conduct of the examination.

The Daily Graphic wishes all candidates the best of luck in the examination.

We hope that the 2025 WASSCE will mark a turning point towards a more standardised and cohesive examination process.

We urge the government and education stakeholders to work towards aligning Ghana's academic calendar with the rest of the WAEC member countries, ensuring that our candidates are on the same playing field as their peers in the region.

As we look forward to a more streamlined examination process, we must also address the issue of examination malpractice.

It is important that candidates, invigilators and other stakeholders take their roles seriously and work towards ensuring the integrity of the examination process.

By doing so, we can restore the credibility of the WASSCE and ensure that our candidates receive certificates that genuinely reflect their abilities.

The Daily Graphic believes that through combined efforts, we can achieve this aim and create a better future for our candidates.

Ultimately, the success of the WASSCE depends on the concerted effort of all stakeholders.

We urge all those involved to take their roles seriously and work towards ensuring the smooth conduct of the examination.

This way, we can ensure that the 2025 WASSCE is a success and that our candidates are well prepared for the challenges ahead.