Takoradi, July 21, GNA – The 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) too off smoothly in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis (STMA) in the Western Region, amid strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.
The examination started with project work for Visual Arts candidates, while the theory papers would start from August 3, 2020, until September 5, 2020, when the five-week-long examination would be brought to an end with Principles of Cost Accounting and Technical Drawing.
The Western Region has 24,332 as total number of candidates sitting for the exams, comprising of 11,731 males and 12,601 females.
In a visit to some of the schools by the Ghana News Agency, though Supervisors and Headteachers could not speak to the news team, it was observed that all the COVID-19 safety protocols were being adhered to especially, the social distancing protocol in the exams halls.
Among the schools visited by the GNA were the Bompeh Senior High Technical, Fijai Senior High School, St. John’s Senior High School, Ahantaman Girls Senior High School and Sekondi College Senior High School.
Commenting on the readiness of the school, Mr. Kenneth Agbomadzi, Headmaster of the Fijai Senior High School, said the school was ready to conduct the WASSCE for all its students and gave the assurance that no stone would be left unturned to make sure that the exams ended successfully.
He pointed out that the school recently undertook another disinfection exercise on their own volition to disinfect the dining hall, classrooms, dormitory, assembly hall and other relevant areas of the school.
Mr Agbomadzi stated that the exercise would be done on a weekly basis to make sure that the school was totally free from the spread of the virus and added that it had received all the three sets of nose masks from the government and other PPE to fight the spread of the virus.
In all, 60 subjects, made up of four Core and fifty-six Elective Subjects, would be made available to the candidates nationwide.
The subjects cover the seven programmes offered at Senior High School (SHS) such as General Arts, General Science, Business, Agricultural Science, Visual Arts, Home Economics, and Technical.
A total of 375,737 candidates, made up of 187,574 males and 188,163 females from 976 schools would sit for the examination at 796 centres throughout the country.
The Visual Arts Project Work is expected to be taken by 65,380 candidates in eight different areas. A total of 750 candidates would do Basketry; 6,620 would take Ceramics, while 22,929 would do Graphic Design.
Some 29,983 candidates would also take the practical work in Jewellery, while 9,826 would go in for Leatherworks, with 7,986, 7,484 and 6,805 candidates engaging in Picture Making, Sculpture and Textiles, respectively.
The Ashanti Region has the highest number of candidates with 87,295 candidates followed by Eastern Region with 56,467 candidates whereas the Western Region presents 24,332 candidates.
GNA