President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has rebuffed former President John Dramani Mahama’s doubts about the authenticity of the West Africa Senior Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results by Ghanaian students, labeling them as “unfortunate and misguided.” This response came during the 187th speech and prize-giving day at Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast.
Mr. Mahama had expressed concerns about cheating in examinations during one of his ‘Building Ghana Tours’, stating that some teachers connive with students to cheat, ultimately affecting the credibility of the certification.
In a strong rebuttal, President Akufo-Addo asserted that the large excess and improved quality of the WASSCE results have gone hand in hand, contrary to claims questioning their integrity. He lamented the injection of politics into such matters, particularly criticizing Mr. Mahama and other individuals for attributing the results to cheating without any substantiated basis.
“Contrary to the normal experience, the large excess and improved quality have gone hand in hand. Long may this continue”.
“It is a pity though”, he added, “that the sad nature of aspects of contemporary Ghanaian politics drove some otherwise allegedly responsible people including your former president and current NDC presidential candidate to question the integrity of the results happily without any foundation and to attribute these results to cheating,” Mr. Akufo-Addo decried.
Addressing the students directly, President Akufo-Addo asked if they cheat in examinations, to which they responded with a resounding “no.” He emphasized that their response sends a clear message to those who expressed doubts about the integrity of the results.
Highlighting the achievements of what he proudly called “the Akufo-Addo graduates,” the president noted that the WASSCE results from 2020 to 2023 demonstrate a significant improvement in the quality of education. He pointed out that these years are the only ones in the past decade where more than 50% of candidates obtained A1 to C6 in all core subjects.
President Akufo-Addo’s remarks underscore the government’s commitment to enhancing the quality of education in Ghana and defending the integrity of examination results. As the country continues to strive for educational excellence, such affirmations from the highest office serve to bolster confidence in the education system and celebrate the achievements of Ghanaian students.