The government has instituted measures to enable the over 400 students displaced by the disturbances in some parts of the country to undertake their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).The measures which include; providing boarding facilities for all 400 students is to ensure that they are able to properly prepare for the examination which is scheduled between August 20 and September 19.Minister of Education Haruna Iddrisu who announced this during a meeting with the Board of the Ghana Education Service (GES) yesterday in Accra said the intervention formed part of efforts to ensure that all eligible candidates were able to sit for the examination without disruption.The affected students are from conflict-prone areas such as Nkwanta in the Oti Region and Bawku in the Upper East Region, where escalating tensions have rendered daily commuting to school unsafe or impossible.He assured the public that the government was working with security agencies to protect candidates and exam officials, particularly in conflict-prone areas in the country.In a related development, the Minister has announced that between GH¢67 million and GH¢69 million would be disbursed to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) by Monday which is significantly earlier than previous years.Mr Iddrisu condemned the rising incidence of examination malpractice, especially what he termed "phone-assisted cheating," involving students accessing unauthorised materials via mobile phones, sometimes with the complicity of teachers."We must protect the integrity of the examination system," he said. "Any student or teacher found engaging in malpractice will face decisive action.
We cannot build character without integrity."The Minister urged the GES to strictly enforce examination regulations, particularly those concerning mobile phone use, and reiterated the Government's commitment to supporting efforts to curb infractions.Mr Iddrisu also expressed alarm over increasing cases of violence in schools, including incidents involving students in possession of weapons.He described the trend as "unacceptable and un-Ghanaian," and called for enhanced security checks and a review of recruitment and training procedures for school security personnel.On teacher welfare, the Minister proposed a national housing initiative that would use pension funds as collateral to provide two-bedroom accommodation for teachers with 10 to 20 years of service."A decent place to live should not be a luxury for those who dedicate their lives to educating our children," he stated.Additionally, Mr Iddrisu announced plans to establish a National Education Review Implementation Secretariat to coordinate the rollout of reforms recommended at the recent national education forum.He emphasised the need for greater investment in foundational learning and the strengthening of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.Concluding his address, the Minister offered words of encouragement to the 2025 WASSCE candidates."This examination is not just a test of knowledge-it is a milestone in building your future," he said. BY RAYMOND APPIAH AMPONSAH
