Editorial
WASSCE results heart-warming!
In view of the importance of education within the context of the huge sums of money government has spent on the Free Senior High School (SHS), it is heartwarming to note that the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) performance has been the best since 2015, according to West African Examination Council report.
It is also gratifying that the students have not disappointed their parents and the people of Ghana, repaying the trust for the heavy investment made in their education.
It is clear that the candidates have put up a gleaming performance, especially, when the current management of education did not place any “cut-off point” on grades Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates must obtain to pursue SHS education.
In previous years, aggregate 30 was fixed as the cut-off point. This shows that when given the chance and provided with the requisite support, as many students as possible can perform well in exams.
The performance has been improved greatly because of the numerous interventions rolled out by government. To begin with, the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, removed obstacles such as school fees and this gave them the peace of mind to concentrate on their studies.
Again, the supply of free core text books to every student as well as free uniforms to both day and boarding students also contributed positively to their good performance.
Ghanaians are aware of the special training organised for Science and Mathematics tutors together with the provision of the Chief Examiner’s Report to schools to serve as a guide for the students.
All these helped to bring improvement in the performance of the students.
The Spectator is happy about this development and urges the government to continue with this policy of comprehensive support for education – not only for the core subjects, but for the non-core subjects so that there will be continuous improvement in the years ahead.
The percentage of candidates who obtained A1 to C6 in the core subjects constituted more than 50 per cent. In English language, the percentage score was 57.34 per cent in 2020, while Integrated Science in the same year, is 52.53 per cent.
Similarly, percentage score in Mathematics is 65.71 per cent, while it is 64.31 per cent in Social Studies. This shows that the average performance of the candidates for this year is the best compared with results within the past six years.
We will continue to urge our students not to rest on their oars but study harder so as to perform better in the years ahead.
The Spectator also congratulates all teaching and non-teaching staff as well as Headmasters and management of our schools on their hard work and appeal to them to continue the good work so that as a country, Ghana can place itself higher on the educational ladder.
Similarly, The Spectator lauds government on the good work done in supporting education in the manner it has done.
We doff our hats off for all those who have helped to promote this positive agenda.
Dear Editor,
I write to appeal to the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL) to put some of their buses on the Kasoa–Circle route to ease the challenges passengers face every day.
It might interest you to know that going to and from Kasoa is no child’s play. Sadly, it appears we have been left to our fate and at the mercy of greedy ‘trotro’ drivers who employ various tactics to extort money from passengers.
One of the means they usually employ is that at the station, they’ll tell passengers they are not going to Kasoa. However, when you join these vehicles, they take passengers to a point and start calling for new passengers to a different destination. It continues like that until they reach Kasoa. At all the new stops, they collect fresh fares from passengers.
So, it is not true that they are not going to Kasoa — the only reason they do that is to take more money from passengers.
By this behaviour, one ends up spending about GH¢20 for a journey that should cost around GH¢11, and the same amount on the return trip.
This behaviour also results in long queues at the stations at night, giving robbers and pickpockets a field day as they mingle with passengers struggling for transport and end up stealing from them.
I want to plead with the Metro Mass management to put buses on this route to reduce the inconvenience we go through after a day’s work.
The management could also devise ways to make their operations more convenient and reliable, and must consider setting specific times so that passengers would know when buses arrive and when they depart.
Kwesi Pino
Kasoa
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Dear Editor,
I write with deep concern about a safety hazard and the dangers commuters are exposed to, especially those who walk in the area at night.
Along one of the busy roads in the capital — the Neoplan Station stretch of the ‘Accra Dubai’ road — lie several culverts with their metal coverings removed, leaving behind gaping holes that endanger everyone who uses the stretch.
It is a danger to commuters who walk around the area. As a regular visitor to that area, I find it very disturbing. In fact, a gaze into the drain can make one feel dizzy — it is very deep.
These are very common sights from the Railway Crossing area to the Awudome Cemetery area, bringing to the fore the activities of scrap dealers who are mostly blamed for the disappearance of the coverings.
They are dangerous and easy to miss. Children walking to school, the elderly, and even motorists risk serious injury if nothing is done.
This is not just a matter of inconvenience; it is a matter of life. We have seen too many cases where a simple oversight leads to irreversible harm.
A child could fall in. A motorcyclist could swerve and crash. A pedestrian could be injured in the dark. These are preventable tragedies, and we must treat them as urgent.
We cannot wait for disaster before we act. I urge the relevant authorities to inspect such areas, replace missing covers, and prioritise public safety. A simple fix today could save a life tomorrow. Let’s not look away — let’s fix what’s broken before it breaks someone.
Kelvin Acheampong
Dansoman
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