The Ghana Education Service (GES) says it has put measures in place for the next academic year school calendar to commence from the usual September/October to June/July instead of the current January to December.
GES following the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic that lead to the total closure of all schools across the country on March 15, 2020, scheduled for the 2020/2021 academic year to start January and end late December.
But, the Director-General of the GES, Prof Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa has disclosed his outfit is currently working to ensure the country returns to the old school calendar which ends in June/July and starts in September/October.
“The calendar that we are drawing also looks beyond 2022 to 2023 and 2024 to see how we can gradually come back to the school calendar year, which ends in June/July and starts in September/October,” he told Daily Graphic last year.
The forthcoming school calendar he said is being worked on by the calendar committee chaired by the Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour and other representatives from GES, NaCCA and TVET service.
When completed, the next academic year calendar would mean that final year Senior and Junior High School (SHS) students will sit for their Basic Education Certificate Examination and WASSCE for School in May/June respectively.
In a related development, a staff of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has told EducationWeb.com.gh his outfit is planning to administer the 2022 edition of the WASSCE for School in May/June and not August/September.
According to the WAEC official, Prof. Ato Essuman, the Chairman of Council after Nigeria’s Education Minister pushed for the international examination to be conducted in May/June this year has said the new date will be considered.
Though, the Management of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is yet to communicate to release the 2022 WASSCE timetable to stakeholders, students and the general public on the actual date to commence the examination.
A total of 446,352 candidates, made up of 221,439 (49.6%) males and 224,913 (50.4%) females from 965 schools sat for examination in 2021. A total of 3,545 of the candidates who registered were absent from the WAEC examination.
About 1,339 subject results and 174 entire results have been cancelled for various exams malpractices such as bringing foreign material including mobile phones into the exam hall, tearing off parts of question papers and collusion.
The non-profit-making organization (WAEC) has said it will after a thorough investigation into the cases release the withheld results. The withheld results it said may be cancelled or released based on the outcome of the investigations.
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