The Africa Education Watch has thrown its support and commended the government for providing past questions popularly known as ‘Pasco’ to final year senior high school students.
In a statement issued by the organization, it said they support the decision to provide all resources required to adequately prepare students for examinations.
“We have no objection to the supply of past questions,;answers and examiners reports to support students so far as the teaching authorities recommend and find same useful in adequately preparing students ahead of their examinations. It is on this basis that we commend government for providing the past questions.”
Eduwatch
The organization’s statement follows the Minister of Education,;Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum’s confirmation of government’s purchase of past questions for candidates preparing for this year’s West Africa Senior Schools Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
On the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, July 14,;Dr Osei Adutwum announced that the past questions were procured from Kingdom Books and Office Stationery at a total cost of almost GHS35 million.
Also, in the statement, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch,;Kofi Asare questioned and expressed concerns over the procurement deal and spending efficiency by the Education Ministry.
“There are concerns with Spending Efficiency arising out of the decision by the Ministry of Education (MoE) to subject the procurement of GHC 34.8 million worth of past questions to a single-source procurement method.
“Selecting repeatedly for two years, a company without a track record in Ghana’s publishing industry to publish and supply about 450,000 copies of past questions raises more questions.”
Kofi Asare
Cause to worry over ‘Pasco’ procurement
However, Member of Parliament for Builsa South Constituency, Dr. Clement Apaak, who is also the Ranking Member on Education Committee, indicated that there is cause to worry over this.
“Why government will spend GHS68,513,455.75 to buy 1,035,733 exam questions through sole source from same company two years in a row, and agree to pay for same exam questions at GHS78 per unit, when it paid GHS59 per unit only a year ago, a whopping 32% increase, begs the question.
Dr. Clement Apaak
“Interestingly, the price of textbooks used by Senior High School students have not increased over the period. So how can cost of past exam questions increase by 32% from the same supplier?” Also
Decision to buy ‘Pasco’ unnecessary
According to him,;the decision to buy past questions “Pasco” is unnecessary and is demanding the government to state publicly whether the buying of past questions is now a policy. He said once the public knows that the procurement of past papers is now a policy, the state will now budget for it. Also
“The Minister must come clear and tell us whether this has become a policy now. I believe strongly that the procurement and distribution of past questions would soon be listed as one of the variables in defining free SHS. In my public engagement with the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Ntim Fordjour, he indicated that the government doesn’t want to burden parents and so by inference,;this is being seen as free education and so they should come clear and tell us.”
Dr. Clement Apaak
