WASSCE: NUGS asks GES to reconsider "harsh" decision to dismiss WASSCE candidates

This comes after GES dismissed some 14 final-year students identified in various videos that have gone viral on social media inciting and participating in vandalism on various school campuses after sitting their first few West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) papers.

Four teachers were also been interdicted in connection with the violence that erupted in the schools.

GES, following the sanctions, noted that they were meant to deter others from such acts of vandalism.

Although NUGS in a statement has condemned the act, it has noted that the decision on the students was “harsh”, hence, the call to reconsider.

It stated that “NUGS acknowledges concerns of examination malpractices and other acts of indiscipline by some students in the ongoing WASSCE exams. Such acts contradict the values and principles of the Union; the Union unequivocally condemns any act of indiscipline on our campuses thereof.

Such acts of indiscipline have no place in our institutions of training and should not be coming from students who are being trained to be the future leaders of this country.”

The statement continued that the union has also taken notice of the reaction of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and appealed to the GES to “take cognisance of the times we find ourselves and its already undesirable consequence on students i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic and its psychological effects on students.

That the punitive measure of dismissing the students from the schools and barring them from continuing with the examinations which they have already started is too harsh and should be reconsidered. The Union believes that punitive measures should be meant to reform recalcitrant students, and not to have consequences that may jeopardise their educational future.

The management of the schools and the Ghana Education Service should exact other punitive measures for these students and allow them to complete their studies and examinations,” NUGS added.

It reiterated that the Union “shall take steps to partner the GES and other relevant stakeholders to embark on a “Discipline Campaign” to educate and sensitise our high school constituents on the need to uphold the culture and values of discipline and also to forestall future occurrences of such indiscipline.”

NUGS, hence, urged “all senior high school students to obey their schools’ rules and regulations, avoid all forms of examination malpractices and observe all the COVID-19 protocols” and not to “rely on supposed leaked papers; prepare adequately" and they will excel.