Three students who excelled in the 2022 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates (SC) have been adjudged the overall top three winners of the WAEC Distinction Awards in the country.
They are Alex Opoku Manu of the St James Seminary Senior High School (SHS) in Sunyani in the Bono Region, who was the Overall Best Candidate in the country, with the first runner-up position going to Benjamin Eyram Nana Kwame Degbey, also from St James Seminary SHS, while Abena Afriyie Poku from Holy Child SHS in Cape Coast in the Central Region, took the prize for the second runner-up position.
Messrs Manu and Degbey had earlier picked the WAEC International Excellence Awards for emerging the top two Overall Candidates, in The Gambia.
Each of them scored eight A1s in their various subjects.
Alex Opoku Manu (left) receiving the award for the first position from Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education. Picture: ESTHER ADJORKOR ADJEI
Manu picked the award in the Sciences, while Mubarak Illiasu Danaa of the T.I. Ahmadiyya SHS, Kumasi, took the award in General Arts.
Ato Kwamena Quansah of the Presbyterian Boys’ SHS Legon, and Ewura Esi Adobea Otieku-Boadu of Wesley Girls High School, Cape Coast, won the awards in Business and Home Economics respectively.
A total of 422,883 candidates made up of 203,753 males and 219,130 females from 977 schools took part in the WASSCE (SC) last year.
Prizes
For his prize, Manu, who is currently studying Human Biology (Medicine) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, received an amount of $1,200 from the WAEC Endowment Fund, a cheque for GH¢ 30,000 and a laptop from Zenith Bank, with his alma mater receiving a plaque and a desktop computer.
In addition, he received a cheque for $400 from the Ghana National Office of WAEC, a plaque, a certificate, an amount of GH¢10,000 and a laptop.
Degbey, who is also an Electrical/Electronics Engineering student at the Academic City University College in Accra was also presented with $900 from the WAEC Endowment Fund, a cheque for GH¢ 20,000 and a laptop.
His alma mater, St James Seminary, received a plaque and a desktop computer.
For her prize, Ms Poku, who is studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, had $750 from the WAEC Endowment Fund, a cash of GH¢15,000 and a laptop.
Award winners in each of the programmes received GH¢10,000, a certificate and plaque for their schools.
In addition, they had $400 each.
Participation
The Head of National Office of WAEC, Wendy Enyonam Addy-Lamptey, said 422,883 candidates made up of 203,753 males and 219,130 females from 977 schools took part in the WASSCE (SC) 2022.
She said 124 candidates out of the total number met the criterion for the awards
“I wish to use this opportunity to bring to the attention of our stakeholders and candidates that the rules and regulations for dealing with cases of irregularities in the council’s examinations have been revised,” Ms Addy-Lamptey said.
The Registrar of the council, Pateh Bah, said: “The council has also taken up the challenge of making available to stakeholders publications and services that are capable of stimulating improvement in teaching and learning at all levels of education.”
Assessment
At the event in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, charged WAEC to consider reviewing the assessment regime in the country since the prosperity of every nation depended on its quality of education.
He said it was important to teach people to be critical thinkers.
The minister also called for an end to examination malpractice and underscored the need for all to support the council in that direction.
For his part, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr Eric Nkansah, commended WAEC for instituting the awards to celebrate excellence.
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