It would appear the WASSCE results not only took a toll on students who completed this year but also on students still in school. Any Ghanaian who has been through the SHS/SSS system knows very well how much of a bar the results of predecessors sets for you as a junior yet to write your WASSCE. If the results were good, then you know the expectation of you is to either meet that or exceed it. However, when things go south then you know you up for a backlash from the authorities of the school, and an unrealistic expectation to undo the wrongs of those ahead of you.
Unfortunately, some students in Damongo have found themselves on the “wrong” side of the scales of reality. Students of Damongo Senior High School, have had their phones burnt to dust as their headmaster took out his rage on them. After the failure of students of the school in the 2018 WASSCE was attributed to the illegal use of mobile phones and other electrical gadgets on school grounds.
The gadgets were confiscated during a raid in the school after a staff meeting which raised concerns that students use of phones in classrooms contributed to their poor performances in examinations, as well as the increasing rate of immorality in the school. 300 mobile phones were taken altogether during the raid in the school.
Apparently, the students’ greatest concern at the moment is not the loss of their gadgets but the threat of expulsion from Alhaji Harrison, the headmaster of the school.
The actions of the authorities, despite being drastic, seem justifiable to an extent judging by how the school has dropped from a category A school to a category C school on WAEC ranking. A teacher speaking on the incident mentioned “It is sad for us as school authorities. Students now spend more time on phones than their books and studies, especially female students who virtually spend all night making and receiving calls from their lovers,”.
