SSS students to sit for WASSCE as from 2006

Adadientem (Ash), Feb. 3, GNA - Final year students of the nation's Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) will as from 2006 sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) instead of the present SSSCE.

Mr John Amidini, Controller, West African Examination Council (WAEC) Zonal Office in Kumasi, who gave the hint, said the students would take the examinations alongside the Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

He was addressing students of the Church of Christ Secondary/Commercial School at Adadientem in the Ejisu-Juaben District of Ashanti on Tuesday.

Speaking on the topic, "Self-discipline in Examination, A Key To Academic Excellence", Mr Amidini said the inclusion of Ghana to the WASSCE of English-speaking countries in West Africa would eliminate the splinter certificates, which exist currently and harmonise the certificates among countries in the sub-region.

He stressed that self-discipline was very important in examinations that was why the WAEC has rules and regulations and advised students to desist from impersonation, collusion, search for set-questions and confrontation with invigilators, which he said will not help them in any way.

Mr Amidini said serious steps are being taken by the WAEC to address examination leakages, which was becoming a canker in the system and urged the students to be wary of peple who approach them with set-questions, which may be fake.

He said pragmatic efforts are also being taken to address queuing of private candidates at WAEC to buy forms or submit forms, adding that, it is not in the interest of the Council to see students in that situation.

Mr Amidini urged the students to concentrate on their books, saying, "try to discipline yourselves in school, at home and with your books".

Mr Cosmos Owusu-Afriyie, Headmaster of the school hoped the students will learn a lot from the talk and study hard to achieve academic excellence and thereby raise the image of the school.