Cape Coast, Aug. 3, GNA – The first batch of the free Senior High School students on Monday started their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the Cape Coast Metropolis amidst strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.
In all, 35,080 students from 70 public Senior High schools (SHS) are writing the examination, according to the Central Region Examination Officer of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Richard Ebo Bentil.
Of the total figure, 18,838 are males while 16,242 are females.
When the Ghana News Agency visited some of the schools, students were seen busily writing the Integrated Science paper.
At the Mfantsipim School, the headmaster, Reverend Ebenezer Kobina Aidoo said only one out of the 730 candidates was absent.
The Headmaster said because of social distancing the school had designated 23 classrooms for the examination with 29 invigilators.
At the Wesley Girls High School, which has 453 registered candidates, there was one absentee and one person with a disability.
Mrs Kay Oppong-Ankomah, the Headmistress of the School, said there was no problem and that the examination was going on smoothly.
She said the examination materials were received on time.
She told the GNA that 17 invigilators and three supervisors were manning two big halls and a gallery for the Integrated Science paper.
Veronica buckets were placed at vantage points with maximum security at the school, the GNA observed.
The situation was not different at the St. Augustine’s College where a total of 658 were writing the examination.
Mr Francis Addo Mensah, Assistant Headmaster of Academics, disclosed that one of the candidates died shortly after registration.
The centre is also hosting 28 candidates from the Peter Holdbrook Smith SHS in Cape Coast.
Mr Francis Ato Davis, the Assistant Supervisor in charge of the examination at the Adisadel College, told the GNA that one of their 453 registered candidates had passed on.
He said the examination started on time and everything was going on smoothly because the students were well prepared.
There were security personnel at all the examination centres visited.
GNA