The Ghana Education Service (GES), has warned heads of senior high schools not to prevent final year students who owe school fees, or any other levies, from partaking in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE)
The GES in a release to head teachers said recent reports of such occurrences had come to its attention.
“It has come to the attention of management that some heads of Senior High Schools are preventing Final Year students who owe school fees from writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE),” the release said.
Over the years, instances of candidates being sacked from examination centres because of debts owed schools have become a common occurrence nationwide.
This is viewed as a byproduct of the culture of sacking students from regular classes as a punitive measure against the non-payment of school fees.
But the GES has stressed that “from hence, no student should be sent out of school or prevented from writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) or any examinations for reason of non-payment of fees or levies.”
The statement added that “regional directors should ensure strict compliance of this directive.”
The 2018 WASSCE has 316,985 candidates sitting for various papers. Regional statistics indicate that the Ashanti has 74,630 candidates constituting the highest number of total candidates. Western and Brong Ahafo have 47,729 and 35,554 candidates respectively.
The Greater Accra and Central also represented 33,834 and 32,702 candidates respectively, Northern and Volta have 25,081 and 24,218 candidates; whilst Upper East and Upper West also presented 13,144 and 8,401 candidates.
The examinations, which is expected to end on May 10, is taking place in 946 centres nationwide.
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
