Tema, April 7, GNA - The first batch of students, under the Senior High School (SHS) four-year Education Programme, on Wednesday, began the 2011 West Africa Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSSCE) with English Paper Three (Oral English). The examination took off smoothly in the Tema Metropolis, as observed by the Ghana News Agency, when it visited some schools and centres in the Metropolis.

According to the supervisors, the students comported themselves during the examination and were happy to finally start their examinations, after having gone through an extra one year in school, due to the new four-year education programme for SHS's. Some of the students from the Chemu Senior High and the Tema Presbyterian Senior High (PRESEC) said the tapes used for the Oral English Paper were very audible.

One of the PRESEC students, who spoke under anonymity, said the four-year duration was terrible for him, since he found it very difficult to pay the fees for the additional one year. Mrs Roseline Obilor, Assistant Headmistress of Datus Senior High School, confirmed having an incident-free examination at her school. Mrs Obilor said, apart from one female student, who has been hospitalized, all the other 145 registered candidates were present. She added that, the examination, which was conducted in two batches, started on time, as the materials were received early enough, and the tapes very audible.

She called on the government to make ready a scheme to cover the four-year education, since it was boring for the students, who had to study almost the same things both in form one and two. At the Tema Methodist Day Senior High School (MEDASS), 273 candidates took the Oral English Paper in four batches, with the first batch starting at 09:15 hours.

Mr James Larsey Lartey, MEDASS Assistant Headmaster, Academics, told the GNA that, the tape was very audible leading to an incident-free examination.

He cautioned students against buying examination materials from unscrupulous people and rather, concentrate on their books and work hard to pass their examinations.

He disclosed that the School lacks enough infrastructure, as well as desks and classrooms to accommodate the form one students, due to the expansion of the SHS duration.

He said a six-classroom block to accommodate the students was still at the foundation level, while the construction of a 15-unit GETFUND classroom project was yet to take off.