We’ll register them for NovDec – SDA endorses students who boycotted WASSCE papers

The Seventh Day Adventist Church says it will foot the cost of private examination for students who have decided to boycott papers in the ongoing WASSCE in accordance with their beliefs.

On Saturday, some WASSCE candidates skipped the Twi paper in adherence to their church's doctrines

Reacting to the development in an interview with www.ghanaweb.com Dr Solace Asafo, Communication Director of Southern Ghana Union said that the affected students are more than the three reported.

She noted that the actions of the students are in conformity with the teachings of the church.

She said that while the church does not have a stance against student writing exams on Saturdays, it fully endorses their personal decision to boycott the papers.

“The SDA unlike other Christians worship on Saturdays according to the biblical injunction right from Genesis to Exodus. So, in acceptance with all the ten commandments, we believe that the day is God’s day because He said He created world, set it apart and rested on that day. That is what we teach our members. You have six days to work, do all your regular activities but on the sixth day which is day of the Lord our God, you are to set it apart for holy use. Don’t seek your own pleasure on that day,”she said.

“We teach our members to uphold the ten commandments however the choice to do it or not to do it lies with the individual. We don’t force people.”

“The children who did not write the exams have been taught what is right. They chose to do what is right. What their conscience told them. They stood by their conviction and belief.”

“The church does not legislate behaviour. It cannot say write or do not write because one day you’ll not stand before God and say my pastor say I shouldn’t write that’s why I did not write. The church’s stand is that no secular activity should be done on Saturdays.”

She revealed that the church made known their concerns with the timetable when it was first released by WAEC and asked for either a rescheduling or special dispensation for the SDA students.

“The church recognizes that Ghana is a secular state so in times like this what the church can do is to go for dialogue, negotiations and put our points out. Their times you win and times you don’t win.”

“For those who choose not to write, we’ll register them for NovDec and we have the assurance that those papers will not be for Saturday because we engaged WAEC, GES and Minister of Education,” she concluded.