Education Ministry refutes claims of GH¢68.5m spent on WASSCE past questions photocopying

The Ministry of Education has strongly denied allegations suggesting an expenditure of GH¢68.5 million on photocopying past questions for West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) candidates.

The Ministry reportedly allocated GH¢33.6 million in 2020 and over GH¢34 million in 2021 for this purpose, both through single-source procurement.

In response to these claims, Education Minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum

Read full articlerevealed in Parliament on Monday, March 4, that the government spent the funds to photocopy past questions for Senior High School (SHS) students, aiding their preparation for the WASSCE. The procurement was reportedly carried out through Messrs Kingdom Books and Stationery at a unit price of GH¢78.00 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the Ministry's Public Relations Officer, Kwasi Kwarteng, clarified in a Facebook post that the mentioned amounts were not for photocopying but for the printing, supply, and distribution of revision books. Kwarteng emphasized that the claim of spending GH¢78 on photocopying a page in the booklet is inaccurate and misleading.

Below is Kwasi Kwarteng’s Facebook post

Re: Clarification on Alleged GH¢68.5 million Spending on WASSCE ‘Pasco’ Photocopying

It is crucial to note that the mentioned amounts were not for photocopying but rather for the printing, supply, and distribution of the revision books. Therefore, the claim that GH¢78 was spent on photocopying a page in the booklet is inaccurate and misleading.

In 2019, the funds were utilized to engage Messrs. Aki-Ola Publications Company Limited and Messrs. Kingdom Books and Stationery Company Limited for the supply of revision books (study guides) for Senior High Schools. The purchase included 207,000 copies of study guides for West African Senior High Schools, consisting of past questions and answers, at an estimated cost of GH¢40 each.

Additionally, 361,755 copies of study guides for SHS, comprising WAEC past papers, suggested answers, and chief examiners’ reports for core subjects, were procured from Kingdom Books and Stationery Company at a cost of GH¢75 per booklet.

Subsequently, in 2021, the Ministry engaged Messrs. Kingdom Books and Stationery Limited for the printing, supply and distribution of 446,957 revision books for SHS for ghc78 comprising of WAEC Past questions, Chief Examiner’s Reports and possible answers. 446,954 copies of updated editions of the study.