WASSCE Rioting: Deviant Acts A Reflection Of Society Not Free SHS – Okoe Boye

A Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye kicks against suggestions that acts of vandalism displayed by some candidates, in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) should be blamed on the Akufo-Addo government’s free Senior High School programme.

He believes the reprehensible act displayed by the students is a reflection of society and not the laudable free SHS policy.

“Respectfully, we should be careful not to associate any ill, challenge or deficiencies in character or something to Free SHS. Look, I always contend that Free SHS, in fact, the current system is just like the status quo then. The only thing that it has added is that, instead of your parents paying for the bill, the government is paying for it. So if there are character issues, it is a reflection of the society,” he argued on The Big Issue on Citi FM/Citi TV.

“Look students who rely on ‘Apor’ 100 percent to pass will not be straight in their subsequent life activities. When I say straight, even if Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye says he goes to the University, he or she will always be looking for a crocked way and will do same at the job site.”

The Ledzokuku legislator further said the correction of these acts starts from the home.

“So what I am saying is that, these things should tell us the challenges we have to look at as a society and addressing these ills starting from our homes.”

He, however, added that he is confident the results will prove that the incidences witnessed in some schools was an outlier and not the complete representation of all the students sitting for the exams.

“If 400,000 kids present themselves for exams and even you get 20 of them complaining that the exam was difficult and was not what was expected, how dare you even think it is a reflection of the whole curve when you draw in terms of their reaction and performance. In fact, anyone who does that is completely lost. But I am not surprised because that is one of the deficiencies of social media because two people have a video, venting their struggles. Wait for the results and I am very confident that the results will show us that what we witnessed was an outlier and not the whole representation of all the students.”

---citinewsroom