108,485 candidates participating in 2021 WASSCE in the Ashanti Region

A total of 108, 485 candidates in the Ashanti Region are writing this years’ West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for the second batch of free senior high school education. The students began writing the exams smoothly throughout the country yesterday.

The examination began with Oral English with the strict observance of the COVID-19 safety protocols across 192 public and private Senior High schools in the region.

Speaking to OTECNEWS reporters, Rosemond Acqah and Ernestina Tuffour, on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, the Ashanti Regional Controller for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Mr. Divine Agbenyo revealed that, the candidates are made up of 54,421 males and 54,064 females.

According to Mr. Agbenyo, adequate measures have been put in place by the Council to reduce examination malpractice adding that, “some of the measures include thorough searching of the candidates before entering the examination hall; banning of supervisors and invigilators from taking their mobile phones and other electronic devices into the examination hall; briefing of school principals on their vicarious liability should any of their candidates be caught with mobile phones or other electronic devices in the examination hall.”

WASSCE integrity and Students’ comportment

Mr. Agbenyo said the council had not received any adverse report from any part of the country as far as the examination was concerned and expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the exit examinations, saying it had been successful.

He said the integrity of the ongoing 2021 WASSCE has not been compromised “as no single case of leakage or foreknowledge has been established.”

Mr. Agbenyo also expressed satisfaction about the comportment level of the students and commended the invigilators for performing their duties effectively so far adding that candidates and schools caught in any act of malpractice will receive appropriate sanctions as prescribed by the rules and regulations governing the conduct of the Council’s examinations.

OTECNEWS visited some of the examination centres in Kumasi on Monday, September 13, including Kumasi Academy, Prempeh College Senior High School, Opoku Ware SHS, St Louis SHS, Yaa Asantewaa SHS and others.

According to the reports, candidates, invigilators, and supervisors were also seen in face masks and with Veronica buckets, tissue paper, soap and hand sanitisers available at all the centres visited.