Thirty-three selected senior high schools in Ghana will this year pilot a new examination format under the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), featuring questions designed to test critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has confirmed that candidates from the selected schools will sit for what it describes as “21st Century Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Questions” — a more practical, career-driven alternative to traditional exam questions.
John Kapi, Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, told the Daily Graphic that the initiative will eventually be rolled out across all 1,020 senior high schools in the country. He expressed optimism that by 2027, all SHSs would be fully integrated into the new programme.
“These people are not any special kind of students,” Mr Kapi explained. “It’s just that they are doing the new curriculum, and that curriculum is career-driven. Whatever you are studying right now is leading you towards a certain career path.”
He noted that students pursuing medical sciences or engineering, for instance, would be assessed at every stage with a clear view of their chosen professions.
The 33 pilot schools include institutions offering the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme, such as Bosomtwe Girls STEM SHS and Abomosu STEM SHS.
New subjects, including Spanish and engineering science, have also been introduced under the revised curriculum.
Return to International Examination
This year’s May-June WASSCE marks Ghana’s return to the international examination after five years of writing the Ghana Only Version, a shift originally triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 473,658 final-year SHS students from Ghana — 248,461 males and 225,197 females — will sit for the exams alongside candidates from Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. The figure represents a 2.58 per cent increase over last year’s 461,736 candidates.
The examination begins this month with practicals and project work.
