The Ministry of Education has strongly rebuffed recent claims by the former president John Mahama of lax supervision and collusion to cheat in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Ghana.
In a statement released on Friday, the ministry labelled Mahama’s comments as a “calculated attempt to downplay the great strides made by the ministry in improving learning outcomes in the country”.
The ministry highlighted the remarkable progress in WASSCE results nationally, citing a substantial improvement from a 28.7% score (A1-C6) in integrated science in 2015 to an impressive 66.8%, achieved by the 2023 cohort of WASSCE candidates under President Akufo-Addo.
“We have made monumental progress, and over the past few years, WAEC [the West African Examinations Council] has instituted several measures to curb exam malpractices during the BECE and WASSCE test administration,” the ministry said.
It added that strict supervisory measures have been implemented by WAEC, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service, to ensure the integrity of the examinations.
The statement made it clear that candidates caught cheating face severe consequences, with subject papers or entire exams being cancelled, depending on the nature of the malpractice.
Invigilators and supervisors involved in malpractices are reported to the law-enforcement agencies and face disciplinary proceedings, often resulting in termination from the Ghana Education Service, it said.
The ministry defended Ghana’s superior performance in the WASSCE, citing the highest ever number of eight A1s (recorded in 2020) as well as consistent improvement in WASSCE results over the past six years.
The ministry attributed this progress to interventions such as the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, providing students with access to better-prepared teachers, core textbooks, remedial packages and increased teaching hours.
“The Ministry of Education wishes to assure our students, parents, guardians and the general public that the quality of education and examinations at all levels, including the WASSCE, was not and will not be compromised,” the statement concluded.
The ministry also urged stakeholders to disregard any information suggesting that Ghana intends to withdraw from the WAEC exams for WASSCE.
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