Schools hint at blocking access to results of candidates

Ho, April 21, GNA - About a third of the 333 candidates presented by the OLA Secondary School in Ho for the maiden West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) would be allowed to write the exams even though they owe fees.

The school has not sent bills to parents and guardians early enough, Mrs Philomena Afeti, Headmistress of the School, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on Friday.

Such candidates would however have to pay when they return to the school for their results and testimonials, she said. "Personally, I can't prevent anyone from writing her exams because it is basically a give and take affair", she said.

Although candidates who owe fees at the Mawuko Girls Secondary School also in Ho were allowed to sit for the Oral English Paper on Thursday, indications were that they would have to make good such fees before the examinations gather momentum.

Mrs Rosemund Adjoa Keteku, the Headmistress of the school, said such candidates would be "sent home in time for them to come back with the money to write the exams".

She said parents and guardians were given a grace period of up to the end of April to pay up the fees. "Parents were made aware of this arrangement", Ms Keteku said.

"Sending them home is not equivalent to preventing them from writing", Mrs. Keteku said and that the school authorities would not sack any candidate out of the examination hall. Referring to the Education and Sports Minster's directive for all candidates to be allowed to write the examinations, Ms Keteku said the directive reflected his (Minister's) expectations that all parents would be responsible regarding the payment of their wards' fees. At Mawuli School, the Assistant Headmaster Academic, Reverend Alphonse Kodzo-Kumah said parents of candidates had up to 28 days to pay their wards fees in full before the start of the examinations. He said parents who were unable to meet the deadline could negotiate payment terms with the Headmaster.

Rev. Kodzo-Kumah said because candidates could now access their results on the internet, the names of those who would be owing fees would be sent to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for their results to be blocked to compel them to come to the school and pay what they owed before their results would be released to them.