The West African Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), which will be administered from August 1 to September 27, 2022, will only accept applications from Ghanaians going forward.
This is due to the fact that the other four West African Examinations Council (WAEC) members, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, have switched back to the May/June schedule and this year's WASSCE was given to students in those countries from May 9 to June 24.
Due to Ghana adhering to the "new normal" calendar brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the academic calendars of the four nations have been shortened to allow them to write the test in May or June.
Despite the late sitting, applicants from Ghana will still face off against those from other nations for the National Distinction Award and the WAEC Excellence Award.
According to Wendy Enyonam Addy-Lamptey, head of the Ghana National Office of WAEC, "our candidates will still compete for the National Distinction Award and the WAEC Excellence Award, which is typically contended for by all candidates in the five-member nations."
school year system
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic, Mrs. Addy-Lamptey revealed that this year, due to the new semester structure, applicants were unable to sign up for the exam because the country's academic year began on February 7.
She clarified that the applicants would not have enough time to complete the WASSCE in May or June given the start of the 2022 academic year.
"The Ministry of Education asked that it be conducted for them in August and September 2022 since the period was too short and the applicants would not have fully studied for the exam.
The WASSCE for School Applicants would thereafter be written only by Ghanaian candidates, beginning on August 1 and finishing on September 27, she added.
Caution
Mrs. Addy-Lamptey noted that fraudulent website owners and con artists had already gotten copies of previous WASSCE 2022 exam questions that had been given in the other member nations and were using those copies to promote their websites.
"Some have demanded that applicants pay a fee to register. We wish to let our audience know that there are parallel questions and completely distinct questions in the test that is now being held. Although the questions will undoubtedly be of the same degree of difficulty, the Head of the National Office of WAEC stated that "all post-examination arrangements will be handled worldwide."
She said, "For instance, there will be representation from the five member nations at the Standard Fixing and Grading Awards meetings.
Preparation
After the extended closing date of April 8, 2022, 422 883 applicants from 977 schools enrolled for the WASSCE.
72 applicants with visual impairments—39 men and 33 women—as well as 14 candidates with hearing impairments were included in the entrance figure.
A total of 60 disciplines, including 56 electives and four core subjects, would be given to potential applicants, according to Mrs. Addy-Lamptey.
She went on to say, "Candidates have the choice to pick up to a maximum of four optional topics from the seven programmes offered in senior high schools, in addition to the four core subjects that all candidates write.
Depots
In order to meet the necessary security requirements, she assured that "such facilities have been inspected and the necessary fortification and refurbishment works are being done." She went on to explain that the council used designated facilities (depots) for the storage of confidential materials in the various communities.
According to her statement to the Daily Graphic, "this year, the number of depots has been expanded to shorten the time spent in carrying the question papers from the depots to the test centres, putting the depots closer to the examination centres."
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