Seven students from Labone Senior High School were barred from participating in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), today, Monday, August 26, 2024, due to lateness.
The issue was brought to light during a visit by Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, who toured the school to monitor the progress of the exams and extend his best wishes to the candidates.
Labone SHS Headmistress, Rejoice Akua Acorlor, expressed concern over the situation. She explained that the students had been thoroughly briefed on the exam regulations, which required them to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of each paper.
Despite these instructions, some students arrived 1 hour and 20 minutes late, and as per the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) guidelines, they were not allowed to enter the exam hall.
Following reported lateness from some of the students during previous papers, the headmistress said school authorities had repeated warned the students. The headmistress emphasized her disappointment that some students could not take part in the examination.
“If it was 20, 30 minutes, and they have tangible reasons, we would let them in. These were some of the students who wrote their visual art papers and they kept coming late. We have spoken to them, we’ve cautioned them and today they came late with no reason, so it was difficult for us to let them in. As a mother of this school, I am not happy if all our students do not take part in the examination.”
Deputy Minister Rev. Ntim Fordjour acknowledged that examination rules are clear and stated that while he would like to understand the specifics of the incident, it is important for all stakeholders to adhere to the regulations.
He said, “The rules are very clear, and therefore I would want to find out the exact incident that happened and look for details of it before I can respond but there are rules to every examination and I will appeal that all stakeholders abide by that rule. So in this particular instance you cited, I will look into it.”
He noted that he would look into the details of the situation before making any further comments.
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