In the Upper West, the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) started across the region slickly, with students adhering to all the COVID-19 safety protocols.
Asaase Radio’s Upper West correspondent, Muniru Ibrahim, visited some schools in the region and observed that there were no challenges regarding the examinations and adhering to the COVID-19 protocols. All the students were wearing standard-issue face masks and there was enough physical distancing in the examination halls,
Hand sanitisers for students and examination officials alike had been made freely available and could be seen on the tables.
Students were also asked to wash their hands under running water before entering the exam hall.
Misconduct
At Wa Senior High School, 445 candidates sat the first paper.
The headteacher of the school, Yeng Simon, said that ten candidates had been expelled from the school for gross misconduct. Some students were keeping mobile phones on campus; others were not willing to be tested for COVID-19.
At Kanton Senior High School the headmaster, Mohammed Luriwie Kanton, said 504 final-year students were expected to write this year’s exams, comprising 291 boys and 213 girls.
He said two of the female students were pregnant and four are on indefinite suspension.
At Tumu Secondary Technical School there were 455 final-year students: 165 boys and 290 girls.
The WASSCE examinations began on 20 July 2020, with 375,737 senior high school finalists across the country.
The Upper West Region had 8,798 candidates – 4,667 young men and 4,131 young women.
Some of the students told Asaase Radio that they were well prepared to write the exams and were sure they would get good grades.
Best wishes
President Akufo-Addo has sent special best wishes to all WASSCE candidates.
He said, “I wish all the students the best of luck and Godspeed in their examination and I send best wishes to all final-year senior high school students, who will from today, Monday 20 July, take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).”
The president said that, just as they had done over the past four weeks since their return to school, “I continue to urge everyone associated with the conduct of this year’s WASSCE, ie, teaching and non-teaching staff, invigilators and students, to abide by the enhanced hygiene, mask-wearing and social distancing protocols they have become accustomed to.”
These protocols continue to remain “our weapons in the fight to defeat COVID-19”, President Akufo-Addo said.
Muniru Ibrahim
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