A TOTAL number of 45,295 students in three regions of Bono, Bono East and Ahafo are taking part in this year’s West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) according to Bono Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service.
The students are products of 110 senior high schools (SHSs) made up of 74 public schools and 36 private schools. The theory papers which started on Monday with Integrated Science (core paper) took off smoothly in all the schools.
By 8:30 a.m., 869 students of Sunyani SHS comprising 513 boys and 356 girls had started the two-and-half-hour papers.
As part of measures to prevent Covid-19, 25 students were grouped in a class and provided with hand sanitizers as they wrote the papers. Besides, every student was in a white face mask.
The Headmaster of the school, Nsiah Agyepong, told DAILY GUIDE everything had gone on well and the students were ready to do their best, adding “since they returned six weeks ago, we took them through relentless studies so they were ready.”
The Headmaster of Twene Amanfo Secondary Technical High School, Gordon Osei Marfo, on his part, refused to grant an interview because he said he was busy.
The story was not different at Sunyani Methodist Technical Institute and St. Vitus Vocational Institute where students totalling 181 and 45 respectively were seen busily writing the exam papers.
The Principal of the institute, Clifford Kofi Insaidoo, explained that the exam was being conducted by National Board for Professional and Technician Examination (NAPTEX) and not West Africa Examination Council.
He explained further that students were taking two sets of exams with the core subjects — Mathematics, English Language, Integrated Science and Social Studies — conducted by NAPTEX, while elective subjects comprising Building Construction and Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Wood Construction and Technology, Fashion Designing Technology, Hospitality and Catering Management, among others, were conducted by Technical Examinations Unit.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani
danielyaodayee@yahoo.com