WASSCE 2020: These six SHSs have been in the news for all the wrong reasons

The 2020 West African Secondary School Certificate Examination will forever go down in memory lane as one which was heavily tainted with unprecedented chaotic scenes.

This was a result of what has been largely termed as “apor swerve.”

In the minds of these young candidates who are about to transition into larger educational fields, the government’s decision to procure past questions hand book for them prior to the commencement of their exams invariably translated as secured passes for them.

However when their worst night mares began to actually materialize, not only the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo but invigilators and even journalists became victims to their venomous rebuttals.

Of course, it is an election year, some went as far as threatening to vote against the president.

Well, in case you missed some details to this unexpected turn out of events, GhanaWeb brings you in this article, a listicle of some schools that made news headlines after the very first written paper, Integrated Science.

Bright Senior High School

First on the list is Bright Senior High School, a private School in Akyem Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region which is still in the news as a result of the follow up repercussions of the actions of students and even their proprietor.

According to media reports, students were incited by their proprietor, Bright Amponsah to vacate the exams hall following strict invigilation rules which rendered students unable to engage in malpractices.

As a result, these students, numbering about 1,000, made WAEC invigilators and a journalist victims of their fury, attacking them with sticks and stones.

Bright Amponsah, the proprietor was subsequently arrested by the police while the exam centre for students of the school has been changed to Ofori Panin Senior High School.



Tweneboa Kodua SHS

Similar acts of violence were recorded in Tweneboa Kodua SHS in the Ashanti Region after the same Integrated Science paper.

Students who claimed they were unable to write their paper went on rampage and destroyed some school property and refused to eat food from the dining hall.

According to the students, their Headmaster was “too strict” during the invigilation; an act they believe is to make them fail the WASSCE after being in school for three years.

After attracting high level condemnation over the false sense of entitlement, students of Tweneboa Kodua SHS rendered an unqualified apology to their school authorities, government and Ghanaians as well.

Ndewura Jakpa SHS

For students of Ndewura Jakpa SHS, the social distancing protocol which had manifested in the exam hall was the bane of their success in their papers.

Thus revolting against the authorities was in their best interest. They ended up vandalising school property. In fact, they plunged the entire school into darkness when they destroyed the lighting system.

That did not end there as they also proceeded to ruin parts of the ceiling of a new six-unit classroom block which according to authorities was handed over not long ago.

Glasses and louvre blades of the school administration block did not escape the wrath of the students.



Juaben SHS

The same nerve-racking Integrated Science paper caused students of Juaben SHS to hit the streets to protest against what they described as strict invigilation and supervision during the sitting of the aforementioned paper.

According to the students, they could not write the paper because none of the things they studied featured in the exam questions.

The students, wielding sticks, gallons and others clanging roofing sheets, were heard chanting “no more writing” in their protest.

But for the timely intervention of security apparatus to disperse them, students of Juaben SHS would have vandalised schools property in the name of a protest.

Sekondi College

In Sekondi College, three enraged final year students, after writing their Integrated Science paper filmed themselves while hurling abusive and unprintable words at President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

However, luck eluded them as they were identified and dragged to the feet of authorities. The Ghana Education Service did not take it lightly as they were sanctioned and penalised in that regard.

Though the students have rendered an apology mainly to the president, GES has notified Ghanaians that the ring leader of act, Nicholas Cobbinah “has a reputation for being notorious and violent.”



Battor SHS

In Battor Senior High School, five students also filmed themselves hurling insults at the president.

They also, in a similar fashion, threatened to vote against the president for failing to hand them their smooth pass after giving them the past questions hand book.

In a viral video, the leader of the group angrily said “Fellow Ghanaians this is a letter from the form threes to the president. Nana, what have we done to you? You made us solve this book from cover to cover and page to page, everything…Nana we bore you, you think say we go vote give you, you lie bad…”

In what seemed to be an amateur footage taken in their dorm, several others cheered the leader on as he made his address.

In all, 14 students who were identified are now facing expulsion from their schools. Aside that, they have been barred from taking part in their subsequent papers.

But President Akufo-Addo has asked the Education Minister to engage the GES to temper mercy with justice and at least allow the students finish writing their papers.

The GES is expected to conclude consultations with the Educations ministry latest by August 11, 2020, then the fate of these students will be decided.

Director-General of the GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, confirming the meeting with the Education Ministry said “Since this is a presidential request, our meeting will discuss all the issues and come up with the modalities to carry it out."