The Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Northern Region has registered about 16,346 candidates from 28 schools for the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) 2022, which is currently in progress.
Out of that number, 7,129, representing 43.6 percent are females while 9,217, representing 56.4 percent are males. This shows an improvement in an attempt to achieve gender equality in the educational space, especially in the northern part of the country where child marriage is prevalent.
The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly and the Sagnerigu Municipality of the region have been championing girl-child education in an attempt to attain gender equality, and gradually, this agenda could be achieved.
On a visit to some schools within the Metropolis and the Municipality, some candidates were seen busily revising their study notes and textbooks ahead of their upcoming paper, while in other instances, some teachers were in class with the students doing final revision.
For absenteeism, some teachers told the B&FT that for now, they have not registered any with the practical sessions. However, that could be realised when the general papers commence.
It was also alleged that some teenage girls who got pregnant after the registration refused to return to class, though efforts have been made by management to encourage them to return to class and prepare for the exams.
Asking why some do not return back to class, some teachers mentioned that this is usually due to the shyness of their colleagues making a mockery of them, and some of them also feel they have not prepared enough for the exams.
According to the Northern Regional Director of Education, Dr. Peter Attafuah, the exams is to test the knowledge of the candidates’ preparedness for the next generation and there is no need for them to fear. “As a region, we have been liaising with the heads and management of the schools to ensure that the students are prepared for the exams,” he said.
He noted that though there were some challenges in the schools, most of them were addressed by the directorate in collaboration with the school management, while those beyond them were sorted with the support of the Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs).
Touching on examination malpractices, he stressed that the candidates have been educated on the effects of malpractices and so such situations are unlikely to happen. “I believe the mock exams conducted in the schools are enough to prepare the candidates for the exams. We pray for an improved performance this year,” he added.
