The Ministry of Education met with the West African Examination Council (WAEC) last year, to initiate processes to move the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) from February to May.

This move, the Ministry said, is to guarantee that the nine terms allocated to teaching and learning in Senior High Schools (SHS) are fully exhausted by students as required by the syllabus.

WAEC has also delayed 2018’s exams by a month to give candidates more time to prepare.

This delay will also take effect in the four other English-speaking West African countries; Gambia, Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone, who take part in the examination.

Speaking to Citi News, Deputy Education Minister in charge of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum confirmed the date changes, stating that it was done in the best interests of the students.

“I want to assure you that, at least we have about a month, our exams are not going to begin in February, so it will be delayed and moved back, the last testing day will be June 1^st, which has never happened for many years,” he said.

The Minister of Education who spoke at the Meet-The-Press series on November 30, 2017 said the change is expected to improve results for final year students since they would have adequate time to prepare.

Politics of 3/4 year SHS duration

Successive governments have toyed with the duration of second-cycle schooling in Ghana.

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s government changed the three-year SHS  system in 2007 to four years, due to concerns that candidates were not given enough time to complete their syllabus before sitting for the exams.

But the National Democratic Congress (NDC) reversed the decision when they regained power, claiming the four-year duration brought undue hardships to parents.

It, however, appears the Akufo-Addo government is seriously considering re-extending the term to four years.

The Minister of Planning, Professor Gyan Baffour in September 2017 revealed that government is monitoring the three-year SHS system to inform a possible review back to four years.

“The time lost, we have to make it up. That is the first thing that we are trying to do now, and based on that, we can now use the analysis that they do after that time, to see what the public thinks and to decide on whether we move for three years or four years,” he added.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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