WASSCE registration is free for gov’t schools — GES Director-General
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr Eric Nkansah, has emphasized that final-year free Senior High School (SHS) students are exempt from paying GH¢465 as registration fees for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Addressing the media in Accra, Dr Nkansah explained that the government had taken full responsibility for the registration fees for free SHS students.
However, students not benefiting from the free SHS are to pay the recommended registration fee.
Dr. Nkansah’s swift response follows purported reports suggesting that all final-year students must pay GH¢465 before they can write the exam.
“We read in the news that WASSCE registration fee has been pegged at GH¢465, and since that news came out a lot of parents are asking whether every student is going to pay. All students in government secondary schools under the Free SHS programme are not required to pay any registration fees because it has been absorbed by the programme,” he noted.
Additionally, the GES Director-General called on heads of Senior High Schools to desist from pressuring final-year students, currently on vacation to return to school to complete their registration forms.
He gave the assurance that GES was collaborating with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to give students enough time to complete their registration process expected to end on April 19, 2024, after they return to school on April 17.
“We know some of the students live far and near and are enjoying their vacations at home, so they are not expected to return to school to complete their registration until school reopens on April 17. We can assure them that they will be given ample time; we are working with WAEC to make sure ample time is given for the completion of their registration,” Dr Nkansah added.
The Director-General of GES also seized the opportunity to show appreciation to the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) for suspending their nationwide strike, which began on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
“This is pleasant news indeed, and I want to take the opportunity to applaud them for calling off this strike to pave the way for us to continue with negotiations,” the Director-General noted.