Over 80,000 Students Sit SSSC Exam

Over eighty thousand candidates are expected to write this year's Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) throughout the country today, July 15 2003. The examinations would end on August 15 2003.

The students who are made up of 45,605 males and 35,479 females come from a total of 507 Senior Secondary Schools in Ghana. Each student is supposed to write four compulsory core subjects, English language, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies in addition to three or four elective subjects depending on the candidate's choice of course.

The Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of candidates totaling 15,992 from 91 second cycle schools, while the Upper West region recorded the lowest candidates in the country with 1,703 students representing 18 schools. The rest of the regions are Greater Accra 12,832 candidates from 52 schools, Eastern 12,108 from 77 schools, Central has 10,699 from 53 schools, Western 5,445 students from 37 schools. Brong Ahafo recorded 5,838 in 54 schools, Volta has 7,933 representing 73 schools, Northern 5,758 from 32 schools and Upper East has 2,776 from 20 schools.

In this year's examination, WAEC has recorded a higher number of students as compared to last year, which had a total of 71,728 candidates with 40627 males and 31,101 females.

Mrs. Agnes TeyeCudjoe, Public Relation Officer of West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), told ADM in Accra that "everything is set for the 2003 SSSCE. WAEC is well prepared and has been putting up tight security to ensure that the examinations are completed without any hitches but with success."
She debunked the speculation that some of the examination question papers had leaked into the public domain. She said "WAEC has set up a good investigating machinery to forestall any leakage and feed them with knowledge about and leakage".

She warned students not to rely on 'apo' and if possible report any person who claims to be working with WAEC and has in possession some question papers supposed to be the forthcoming examination papers.

She said to make this year's examination a successful one, an orientation course was held for invigilators, supervisors and depot keepers across the country to ensure that candidates comport themselves and obey the laid down rules and regulations of the examination council.
Mrs. Teye Cudjoe called on students to study very hard the rules and regulations governing the WAEC examination."Any student who is caught indulging in any examination malpractice would be penalized consequently".
She mentioned some of the conducts that would attract punishment ranging from cancellation of exam papers to barring from writing any WAEC exam for three years as follows: "Involving yourself in examination leakage, bringing of foreign materials like text books and note books into the exam hall, impersonation and assaulting a supervisor or an invigilator."
She said any student who failed to report 30 minutes after the paper had been started would not be allowed to write that particular paper.
She advised student to "remain calm, prepare adequately, go and write the examination without expecting help from anyone"
She described as false the rumour being peddled around that WAEC raises the marking scheme in order to fail students. She said WAEC only gives deserving grades according to the students' performances during the examination and has no intention of raising any marking scheme.