WAEC school examinations fee under ‘Free SHS policy’ free – MoE

All school examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council for final-year students in public Junior and Senior High Schools under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy are covered by the government, the Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has said.

In a discussion monitored by AcademicWeek, he said the government as part of an effort to ensure quality education has absorbed BECE and WASSCE fees used to be paid by final-year students before they sit for the examination.

“The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) are free, BECE is free, WASSCE is also free,” the Minister in Charge of Education said on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem show.

BECE

This examination is both for certification and selection into Senior High Schools and Technical Institutes in Ghana. The results of the examination are based on Continuous Assessment and the external examination. The Continuous Assessment forms 30% whilst the external examination forms 70% of the total assessment.

Eligibility

Candidates in the third year of Junior High School (JHS) approved by the Ghana Education Service (GES) are eligible to register to take part in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School.

WASSCE

The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is administered to school candidates in the third year of Senior High School and to private candidates. The examination is for both selection to tertiary institutions and for certification.

WAEC

The West African Examinations Council is Africa’s foremost examining board established by law to determine the examinations required in the public interest in English-speaking West African countries, to conduct the examinations and to award certificates comparable to those of equivalent examining authorities internationally.