MoE to reportedly replace WASSCE with university exams

A purported document titled new educational reforms has disclosed final year Senior High School students will soon sit for a university examination instead of the WASSCE for School conducted by the West African Examinations Council.

According to the document, third-year second-cycle school students after the university test will be awarded a diploma certificate rather than the usual West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) certificate.

“WASSCE will be replaced by a university entrance examination at SHS 3. Students after successful completion will be awarded a Diploma Certificate instead of a WASSCE certificate,” the purported MoE, GES and NaCCA document stated.

But the Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum reacting to the new education reform has said the WASSCE and BECE for School shall not be replaced with new examinations as widely circulated on various social media platforms.

In a discussion monitored by AcademicWeek, the Minister in charge of Education said the Ministry of Education (MoE) has no plans to replace the national and international examinations with a diploma certificate or whatever.

Asked if when the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations are replaced students can apply for schools abroad with the new certificate, the Minister said the government has no such plans to introduce new examinations.

In a related development, the National Teaching Council (NTC) has postponed the conduct of the College of Education entrance test for teacher training admission earlier slated to be conducted in August this academic year.

Not many details of the postponement AcademicWeek is aware of but a staff of the Teaching Council has said the NTC management in due course will communicate a new date for the new College admission examination.

Dubbed the Ghana Basic Education Skills Examination Test (GBEST), Registrar of NTC, Dr Christian Addai Poku says the new entrance test will ensure WASSCE graduates entering the public College of Education are fully qualified.

In his address at a stakeholders engagement, the Executive Director of the National Council said the Ghana Basic Education Skills Examination Test (GBEST) will ensure public teacher training Colleges produce quality teachers.

“The GBEST will, thus, be used as the entry assessment for the trainee teachers and after completion, the students will be made to write a level and subject-based licensure examination to be qualified as professional teachers,” he noted.

The College entrance examination according to him forms part of reforms being proposed by NTC to harmonise teacher education admissions in the country and also improve teacher education as part of the educational reforms.