The implementation of the free Senior High School policy and the tremendous benefits it has brought to students should serve as the foundation upon which a national honor would be bestowed on President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Ashanti regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party has said.
Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, has stated that per the provisional results released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), it shows clearly that the implementation of free SHS by the Akufo-Addo government has set the tone for children from both less and resourceful homes to take good advantage of Ghana’s educational system as they shape their life.
In an interview with Peacefmonline.com, the Ashanti regional Chairman popularly known as Chairman Wontumi indicated that “if majority of students are passing in Science and Mathematics, it sends a signal that our educational system is doing well and it is a plus for the nation at large”.
He continued that “President Akufo-Addo deserves to be given the highest honor for implementing free SHS and the Minister of Education; Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh must also be honoured for performing well as the main man entrusted to take care of education. I applaud this current government for the development it has brought to our SHS”.
Statistics from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) show that the 2019 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) recorded significant improvement in the number of candidates who passed Mathematics (core) and, to an extent, Integrated Science.
According to WAEC, 65.31% of the candidates who sat for the exams this year had between A1 and C6 as compared to figures from 2018.
About 50.52% of the 346,094 candidates who sat for the exams also had between A1 to C6 in the Integrated Science paper.
“Mathematics (Core) recorded the most significant improvement in A1 to C6 over that of 2018 (38.33% to 65.31%). Also, there was a noticeable improvement in Integrated Science (50.52% to 63.17%) with English Language recording a modest improvement of 46.91% to 48.96%. Social Studies also showed a slight improvement in the performance of candidates (73.27% to 75.43%),” a statement from WAEC stated.