Stay away from exams malpractice - CHOPSS, GNAPS advise WASSCE candidates

The Conference of Heads of Private Second-Cycle Schools (CHOPSS) and the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) have called on candidates writing this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates to desist from any form of malpractice to ensure a smooth examination.

It said ensuring an examination devoid of malpractice would result in the credibility of the examination as well as the continued rise of the standard of education in the country.

“As CHOPSS and GNAPS continue to preach zero tolerance for examination malpractice, we admonish all candidates to desist from any form of malpractice and ensure a smooth 2019 examination. Ensuring an examination devoid of malpractice will result in the continued rise of Ghana’s standard of education to meet international standards.

“We equally wish to use the opportunity to appeal to all relevant stakeholders such as the West African Examination Council (WAEC), supervisors, invigilators, school authorities, police as well as anyone who may be involved in the WASSCE to play their roles diligently to ensure a smooth examination. We further encourage them to be firm on the rules but to be fair to all students, be they from private or public schools,” it said.

This was contained in a statement signed by the presidents of CHOPSS and GNAPS, Messrs I.K. Mensah and Eric Appiah as well as the Public Relations Officer of CHOPPS, Mr Naphtali A. Kyei-Baffour.

At CHOPSS, it said some member schools were bidding farewell to their last batch of students since they had no students in their first and second year, adding that the unfortunate development was a direct result of the manner in which the free senior high school (SHS) policy has been implemented.

“We, therefore, wish to continue appealing to government to reconsider its decision to exclude private SHSs from the free SHS policy. If the current implementation of the free SHS policy continues, over 50% of all private high schools will collapse over the next couple of years, leading to the loss of access to secondary education for many Ghanaian children. Further, the collapse of these private high schools will lead to the loss of about 5000 jobs along with related loss of tax revenue for the state, loss of millions of Ghana Cedis in invested capital of Ghanaian educational entrepreneurs and the collapse of an important segment of the private sector,” it said.

The statement reassured parents and guardians that CHOPSS would continue to provide a quality education through a single track and a tri-semester system for the benefit of the students at very affordable fees.

It wished candidates success in the 2019 WASSCE for School Candidates, adding that the in Ghana, the importance of passing the WASSCE could not be overemphasised.

“It is almost a one-way street to success as it opens up the students’ future to many exciting possibilities. For the vast majority of students, the WASSCE is the only means to achieving their future aspirations. Failing the WASSCE therefore potentially limits a student’s options and leads to many frustrations for them,” it said.