By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), Dec. 18, GNA –An inter-school quiz competition organised for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates in and around Wa is expected to significantly improve examination outcomes in participating schools.
The quiz comprised BECE past questions from 2017 to 2025 to compel both students and teachers to broaden teaching and learning in preparation for the examination.
Mr Ismail Salih, an educationist, who expressed the optimism, said, “Considering the number of years that are covered in terms of the past questions, it is very critical in impacting the outcome of candidates of these schools in the BECE.
“There are students who would not have cited even one past question before going to write the BECE”, Mr Salih explained.
Mr Salih, who is also the Headmaster of the Wa Senior High Technical School, expressed the optimism in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa during the quiz competition organised by the Wa Municipal branch of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS).
It was sponsored by the Youth Placement for Employability Solutions (Y-PES Ghana) with support from the Total Glory Bookshop.
A total of 15 member schools participated in the competition, which was held on Saturday, November 29, 2025, with the best five schools qualifying for the finals on Saturday, December 13, 2025.
The finalists were Dan Ibu International School, Senior Victory College, FIC St. Louis, Tender Care Preparatory School, and Wa International School.
Mr Salih commended the Wa Municipal GNAPS for the initiative, noting that it would encourage group learning, as no individual student could study all the past questions spanning nine years.
He encouraged GNAPS to sustain the initiative and further organise continuous professional development programmes for teachers in private schools.
Mr Asampana Issaka Agongo, the Upper West Regional Director of the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA), said private schools remained essential partners in Ghana’s education delivery system.
He indicated that they complemented the government’s efforts by expanding access, upholding standards, and introducing innovation in teaching and learning.
Mr Agongo observed that the quiz competition demonstrated the commitment of private schools to “nurturing young minds, broadening intellectual horizons, and creating learning environments that inspired curiosity and innovation.”
Mr Sulemana Mumuni, the Wa Municipal Chairperson of GNAPS, said the essence of the quiz was to assess the students’ preparedness for the BECE with the ultimate aim of improving performance among member schools.
“This quiz programme is not to get a winner, but to prepare our candidates for their BECE. It is to learn from each other. The mistake we will make will be corrected here”, he explained.
Mr Albert Kangou, the Housemaster of FIC St. Louis, described the quiz competition as a good initiative that would serve as a wake-up call for both teachers and students to revisit topics that might have been overlooked.
Senior Victory College emerged first, followed by Tender Care Preparatory School, Dan Ibu International School, and FIC St. Louis Educational Complex, with Wa International School placing fifth.
Prizes included trophies for the first three schools, exercise books, textbooks, and certificates.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Lydia Kukua Asamoah