News
Aptitude test pass mark was set at 65 due to limited space – interior minister
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has explained that the pass mark for the ongoing security services aptitude test was set at 65 because of the limited number of spaces available in the current recruitment exercise.
According to him, the decision was necessary to reduce the number of applicants progressing to the medical stage of the recruitment process.
Mr. Mubarak explained that although more than half a million Ghanaians applied to join the security services, the first phase of the recruitment would only absorb about 5,000 recruits.
He noted that after the initial body selection and documentation stages, only a small number of applicants were disqualified, leaving more than 400,000 candidates eligible to sit for the aptitude test.
The minister indicated that allowing all those candidates to proceed to the medical examination stage would be unfair, especially because applicants are required to pay for the medical tests.
“Are you going to allow over 400,000 people to do medicals when there are only 5,000 spaces?,” he asked.
Mr. Mubarak explained that the pass mark was therefore fixed at 65 to drastically reduce the number of candidates progressing to the next stage.
He disclosed that even with the pass mark set at 65, about 105,000 applicants had still qualified to undertake the medical examinations, which remains far above the number of available positions.
The minister stressed that government wanted to avoid a situation where thousands of young applicants would spend money on medical examinations despite having little chance of being recruited.
He explained that the medical tests include several checks such as drug screening and mental health assessments, which contribute to the cost of the process.
According to Mr. Mubarak, the President had directed that the data of candidates who successfully pass the medical examinations should be kept for future recruitment exercises.
He said this would allow government to consider them in the next phase of recruitment instead of making them go through the entire process again.
Mr. Mubarak noted that the current exercise forms part of the 2025 security services recruitment, adding that government hoped to conduct another recruitment exercise once the country’s financial situation improves.
He added that applicants who pass the medical stage but are not selected in the current phase may only be required to repeat the medical examinations if a long period passes before the next recruitment.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
Abu Trica’s extradition case: Prophets, fetish priests demand pay for spiritual solution …Lawyer reveals
Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a lawyer for embattled Frederick Kumi, affectionately called Abu Trica and has made a shocking revelation over the behaviour of some members of the clergy.
According to him in a post on social media, the difficult part of Abu Trica’s trial is not the law but the number of ‘Men of God’ and fetish priests demanding financial sacrifices to help resolve the matter spiritually.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2026, “The most difficult part about the Abu Trica case; is not the law.”
He continued: “It is the number of, prophetesses, evangelists and fetish priests, who have called or messaged to ask us to pay for spiritual solutions.”
It would be recalled that in March this year, the Gbese District Court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by Abu Trica, challenging the extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States.
The court, presided over by Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, in its ruling held that the offences forming the basis of the extradition, particularly wire fraud, constitute extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
He was then given 15 days counting from March 27 to appeal the decision of the court or be surrendered for extradition to the US.
Against this backdrop, he was on Tuesday, April 22, granted a bail in the sum of GH¢30,000,000 by an Accra High, pending the appeal of his extradition
Mr Kumi was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 following an indictment by United States authorities, alleging that he played a role in a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of more than $8 million.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
From panic to pass: how parents, teachers can help children beat BECE, WASSCE exam phobia- Part 1
Walk through any Junior High or Senior High compound in Ghana as BECE or WASSCE approaches and you will see it.
A bright girl suddenly quiet. A boy who led class debates now sleeping at his desk. A Form three student with stomach pains every Monday morning.
This is not laziness. This is academic stress. When left unaddressed, it hardens into exam phobia-overwhelming dread that pushes children into burnout, avoidance, and sometimes silence.
As a mental health professional who sits with these children and their parents at Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Adenta Oyarifa-Teiman, I see the pattern clearly.
Research confirms it. Putwain and Daly (2014) found that high test anxiety predicts lower grades independent of ability. Zeidner (1998) showed that chronic academic pressure raises cortisol, weakens memory recall, and increases school dropout risk. The brain under fear cannot retrieve what it studied.
Understanding the storm: What academic stress really looks like
Exam phobia is not just “being nervous.” It shows up as headaches before mocks, sudden anger when books are mentioned, night-time insomnia, or perfectionism that ends in blank scripts.
Some children over-study until 2 a.m. and forget everything by 9 a.m. Others avoid books completely, scrolling phones instead. Both are distress signals. Dr Kenneth Ginsburg, a paediatrician specialising in adolescent resilience, notes: “Stress is not the enemy; feeling alone with stress is.” Too many Ghanaian children feel alone with it.
The home front: How parents and couples become safe havens, not extra pressure
The first antidote is at home. Structure beats shouting. Set a predictable study slot-same time, same place, with water and a light snack. Then protect sleep like you protect school fees. A tired brain fails faster than an unprepared one. Use the “15-minute start rule”: “Just sit for 15 minutes. If you still can’t, we close and try after a walk.” Often, starting is the hardest part.
Couples must watch their language. “Don’t disgrace us” plants fear. Replace it with “We see your effort. What part feels hardest today?” Praise process, not only position: “You revised three topics and asked for help—that is maturity.” Research by Dweck (2006) confirms that process praise builds resilience while outcome praise increases anxiety.
For caregivers, check your own anxiety. Children borrow our nervous system. If BECE makes you panic, they will panic. One parent grounds—keeps meals, prayer, and bedtime steady. The other pivots—talks to teachers, adjusts timetables, arranges counselling. Both protect rest. An empty cup cannot pour calm.
Resources
– Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC): Award-winning Clinical Mental Health and Counselling Facility, accredited by the Ghana Psychology Council.
– School-Based Support: Speak to Guidance & Counselling units, or licensed school counsellors. E.g. Counsellor Blessing Offei – 0559850604 (School Counsellor).
– Contact CPAC for Parent Coaching/Counselling & Student Therapy: 055 985 0604 / 055 142 8486
