“Good” WASSCE results for 2023 show that free SHS is effective – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is celebrating the impressive performance of students who took the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) this year. According to him, the candidates’ success is a clear indication that the free senior high school policy is functioning effectively. The president initiated the free SHS policy in 2017, soon after winning the 2016 general elections.

In a Facebook post dated Wednesday, December 20, 2023, where he commented on the 2023 WASSCE results, he exclaimed, “Free SHS is, indeed, working!!!”

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released the results on Monday, December 18. In a statement, the Council announced that it would provide login details to school heads for accessing the results online at www.waecgh.org. The release also cautioned stakeholders to be vigilant against fraudsters offering result upgrades for a fee.

The Council revealed that 448,674 candidates, comprising 212,453 males and 236,221 females from 975 schools, participated in the examination—an increase of 5.8% compared to the 2022 entry figure. A total of 3,404 candidates (0.75%) were absent from the exam.

Expressing gratitude to stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, security agencies, school heads, supervisors, invigilators, and examiners, the Council acknowledged their support in the successful conduct of the examination and result release.

On the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 on Monday, December 18, Dr. Peter Parte Anti remarked, “I think we have seen considerable progress in the results that have been released, as compared to previous years. My only concern is that academic analyses should not be done in a vacuum. We should delve into the data, examining individual schools and students’ performances to truly understand the results. It’s crucial to consider how students fare in their elective subjects alongside their core subjects, as passing three core subjects is essential for tertiary education, but success in electives is equally vital. So, while the overall figures are positive, we must scrutinize individual school and student performances.”