Students welcome WASSCE in Sunyani

Sunyani, April 20, GNA - Final year students in the Sunyani municipality have welcomed the maiden edition of the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Some of the candidates after taking the Oral English paper on Thursday expressed optimism for success and said they hoped subsequent papers would follow the same sequence.

They made their comments when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited some second cycle institutions in the Sunyani municipality. "The paper is normal, as we could not anticipate how it would be after the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination was replaced with the WASSCE," Master Eugene Asante, a General Arts candidate of the Sunyani Secondary School (SUSEC) said.

"We see the future is very bright after taking the paper," Ms. Theresa Martey, another General Arts student of SUSEC, added. A total of 660 candidates comprising 390 boys and 270 girls sat for the examination at SUSEC.

The Twene Amanfo Secondary Technical School (TASTEC), also in Sunyani had 329 candidates, made up of 204 boys and 125 girls. There were no absentees in both schools.

Mrs. Georgina Boakye, Headmistress of TASTEC, warned the candidates against carrying "unusual materials" to the examination hall.

Mr. Kwamena Ankamah, Headmaster of the Odumaseman Senior Secondary School at Odumase, said 206 candidates had registered for the examination.

He said that both the candidates and invigilators were briefed on the "dos and don'ts" of the examination on Thursday morning and expressed the hope that they would live up to expectation. There was Police security at the centre and the students were thoroughly searched before the paper.

"The paper was good. I believe God will take me through the rest of the paper," Master Emmanuel Atta Kwadwo, a candidate told Ghana News Agency after the Oral English paper.

Mr. Peter Blinyim, Assistant Headmaster, Academics of St. James Seminary Secondary School at Abesim, near Sunyani, said 179 candidates registered for the examination but one withdrew and had gone abroad. He told the GNA that the students were thoroughly searched before entering the examination hall.

A security man was present at the centre.