Parliament, others are aware of WASSCE tourism schools where candidates pay to get A1s – Kofi Asare

Executive Director of the education think tank Africa Education Watch (EduWatch Africa), Kofi Asare, has revealed that there are senior high schools in the Bono, Ahafo, Central and Greater Accra Regions that sell WASSCE grades to candidates.

These schools charge candidates taking the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and ensure that they excel through foul means.

Mr Asare, who described these dubious schools as “WASSCE Tourism Schools”, noted that key stakeholders in education, such as the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Ministry of Education and the Parliament of Ghana, know of the existence of these schools and their modus operandi, i.e., selling good WASSCE results to their students.

He added that his outfit, Africa Education Watch, has a tall list of such schools that operate with impunity in the full knowledge of institutions that can crack the whip on them.

“…Eduwatch has a tall list of WASSCE tourism schools in Bono, Ahafo, Central, Ashanti and Accra. Once you pay, you get your A. Very simple!

WAEC, GES, MoE, Parliament, etc. are all aware so don’t ask me anything,” Mr Asare wrote while talking about examination malpractice and its effect on WASSCE results.

He lamented how examination malpractice, including what happens in those schools, undermines the integrity of the WASSCE and the quality of our human capital, urging Ghanaians to confront the menace head-on and avoid excuses.

“As a country, we must confront this cancer without excuses and stop pretending it does not affect exam results and the quality of human capital. Downplaying it or politicizing its genesis to achieve a political objective is an unpatriotic act,” he asserted.

Discussions of examination malpractice have come to the fore following the release of the 2023 WASSCE results for school candidates, showing a markedly improved performance.