Coronavirus: WAEC holds talks with Ghana, other member countries ahead of WASSCE

The West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) has begun consultations with other member countries to explore ways to conduct this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).

The Council will discuss among other things proposed timetable for the exam, officials say.

This year’s WASSCE was put on hold following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic that saw many countries under lockdown.

Countries like Ghana have begun easing such restrictions and have since reopened schools for final year students.

Head of Public Affairs at WAEC-Ghana, Agnes Teye Cudjoe, however, told Accra-based Citi FM that: “WAEC will be conducting exams for candidates who will be taking the WASCCE and the BECE [Basic Education Certificate Exams]. As at now, we are still in discussions as to whether any of the member countries will join.”

“If they are unable to reach an agreement with other member states, we will publish a timetable for Ghanaian final year students…The timetable is still at the preparatory stage so we will inform people accordingly when the timetable is ready,” she added.

She assured further that “if they don’t [arrive at a conclusion] then Ghana will go ahead and conduct the WASSCE.”

The country is also set to conduct the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for final year students in basic schools.

Teye-Cudjoe stressed that the BECE has no such concerns as it is a “Ghana only” exam adding that “It is for junior high school candidates organised locally in Ghana whilst WASSCE is standardized for senior high school candidates in West Africa”.

On Sunday, May 31, 2020, President Akufo-Addo announced that final year students in all educational institutions in Ghana, starting from basic to tertiary could go back to school to prepare and write their exit examinations.

Final year SHS students will have six weeks of academic work, after which they will write the special ‘Ghana exams‘ by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for five weeks.

JHS students preparing for the BECE will have 11 weeks for teaching and learning with one week for the final exams.