Ghanaian students to write 2020 WASSCE despite COVID-19 concerns – GES

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Education Service has dismissed calls for the government to close down schools and cancel this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) for final year Senior High School students after some schools began recording COVID-19 infections. 

Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on Citi FM on Thursday, July 9, 2020, Madam Cassandra Twum Ampofo said GES is ready to conduct the examination for the final year students despite COVID-19 concerns adding that, the Service has not received any contrary directive on the examinations.

“We’re going ahead with the WASSCE, we’ve not received any directive to hold on. We are going to conduct the exams and WAEC is preparing for that ” she indicated.

On the issue of how the GES is prepared and the safety of the students in schools, the PRO, said “of course, we get reports from our heads, and currently, I can confirm the ones at Mfantsipim and Konongo Senior High School but we are not aware of Odorgonno. It came out yesterday but it’s not true and so we receive such reports from the schools.”

“We have holding rooms in all the schools and we have trained health personnel there so when they come across any COVID-19 symptoms, the person is isolated. We have also mapped all schools to a health facility” she added.

The government reopened schools for the final year SHS and JHS students for them to prepare and take their exit exams.