WASSCE begins: New chapter unfolds for students
It is time, once again, for our teenagers and the future leaders of the country to contend with one of the crucial tests in their young lives, sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates.
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The examination, which begins today with Oral English for all candidates, will be for only candidates in Ghana where the second cycle school curriculum is still being aligned with the sub-regional pre-COVID-19 calendar.
This year's edition is particularly noteworthy, as it follows the successful completion of practical and project works by some candidates, and boasts a record number.
A total of 460,611 candidates, comprised of 212,954 males and 247,657 females from 1,003 schools, are sitting the examination at 1,000 centres across the country.
This represents a 2.66 per cent increase from last year's figure.
It will also be time for the candidates to bring to finality a three-year search for academic excellence, knowledge and information amid the many difficulties in the schooling process at this stage of the academic ladder.
For the third consecutive time, Ghana will be conducting the WASSCE independently, having adopted a new calendar occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
While Ghana’s counterparts in Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia have reverted to the May/June calendar, Ghana has remained on a lone path because of the peculiar circumstances of the country’s educational and other national issues.
As the Ghanaian students embark on this critical journey, the Daily Graphic wishes them the very best. We recognise the hard work, dedication and perseverance that have brought them this far.
We also acknowledge the tireless efforts of teachers, parents and guardians who have supported them every step of the way.
The WASSCE is more than just an examination; it is a rite of passage, a gateway to new opportunities and a chance to shape the future. We urge our students to embrace this challenge with confidence, to showcase their knowledge, skills and talents, and to make Ghana proud.
To the Ghana Education Service, the West African Examinations Council and all stakeholders, the Daily Graphic commends your efforts in advance in ensuring the smooth conduct of the examination. We trust that this year's WASSCE will be another resounding success.
As we begin this new chapter, the candidates should remember that education is the bedrock of the nation's development. Let us continue to invest in our students, our teachers and our schools. Let us strive for excellence, innovation and inclusivity.
To the candidates, we urge you to go forth, make your mark, and write your own success story. Ghana is counting on you.
The Daily Graphic again reminds all the candidates that there is nothing rewarding in any form of examination malpractice; it has the potential, rather, to truncate the education and the potential bright future of a candidate.
It is important for the stakeholders in the examination, especially supervisors and invigilators, to exercise a high sense of vigilance to safeguard the integrity of the examination.
Candidates must strictly heed the advice to “adhere to the rules and regulations of the examination and be wary of the activities of rogue website operators, whose primary duty is to circulate fake questions and lure candidates into subscribing to these questions, thereby taking their focus off their books”.
Indeed, the Daily Graphic wishes the candidates success in their examination, and also subscribes to the fact that “they can pass the examination without cheating”.