Government spends GH¢68.5 Million on photocopying past questions for WASSCE candidates
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum
The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum disclosed that the government has allocated GH¢68.5 million for the photocopying of past questions for West African Senior School Examination (WASSCE) candidates between 2020 and 2021. The procurement of these past questions was done through sole sourcing.
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum made this revelation during a parliamentary session on Monday, March 4, 2024. The decision to procure past questions was made with the aim of providing guidance to students in their exam preparations and helping them excel in their upcoming exams.
Addressing the Parliament, Dr Adutwum stated, “To assist final year Senior High School students in their preparations for the 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the Ministry has acquired 446,954 WASSCE questions from Messrs Kingdom Books and Stationery at a unit price of GH¢78.00. The procurement will be funded from the Free Senior High School Account.”
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He further added, “In 2020, the government, in its efforts to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic, procured 568,755 past questions for the 2020 WASSCE. The Ministry of Education contracted Messrs Kingdom Books and Stationery to supply these past questions at a contract price of GHS 33,641,043.75. The funds for this procurement were sourced from the Free Senior High School Account, and the results of the 2020 WASSCE showed significant improvement compared to previous years.”
Dr Clement Apaak. Dr Apaak expressed his concerns over the government’s decision to spend GH¢68,513,455.75 on the purchase of 1,035,733 exam questions through sole sourcing from the same company for two consecutive years.
He also questioned the 32% increase in the unit price of the past questions, from GH¢59 per unit to GH¢78 per unit, within a year, while the prices of textbooks used by Senior High School students remained unchanged.
Dr Apaak shared his concerns on Facebook, stating, “Why would the government spend GH¢68,513,455.75 to purchase 1,035,733 exam questions through sole sourcing from the same company for two years in a row and agree to pay GH¢78 per unit when it paid only GH¢59 per unit just a year ago? This represents a whopping 32% increase, which raises questions. It is interesting to note that the prices of textbooks used by Senior High School students have not increased during the same period. I will discuss the matter with my colleagues and provide further updates. Stay tuned.”
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
