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•Council honours 3 outstanding WASSCE whiz kids
By Gabriel Dike
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has rewarded the three best overall students in the Sub-region for outstanding performances in the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). And it was an all girls’ affair in Accra, Ghana.
The three students beat other over two million candidates in the five-member countries to emerge the overall best. WAEC honoured the three Ghanaian students with its International Excellence Award.
Head, Public Affairs, Demianus Ojijeogu, said the girls were Huda Suglo Suleman, former student of Legacy Girls College, Akuse, Ghana, First Prize; Paula Adzo Elinam Suwo, Legacy Girls College, Akuse, Second Prize and Matthea Aba Andoh, Hope College, Accra, Ghana Third Prize.
They were selected from 2,612,830 who sat for the school examination in The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The Augustus Bandele Oyediran Award for the best candidate also went to Suleman.The Oyediran family in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, in honour of their late patriarch, Mr. Augustus Bandele Oyediran, in 1984, instituted the award.
Vice President of Ghana, Prof.Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, presented the awards to the winners. Suleman obtained eight A1s including English Language and Mathematics, with a T-Score of 597.5857.
Her academic achievements included principal honour roll from year 10 to 12, prep prefect, honorary mention for Kangaroo Math Olympia in 2024, best in Geography and Economics, year 10-12, best in Mathematics (elective) year 10 and best in English year 11. She was Secretary, Performing Arts Club, member, Model United Nations Club and Assistant to all cohorts Legacy Girls College.
The management of the college said from her first day in school, Suleman distinguished herself as an exceptional student, led in class discussions with confidence and demonstrated a remarkable grasp of all subjects:
“Her contribution to fostering a culture of academic excellence will not be forgotten. She maintained a high GPA every year, peaking at 3.94. Huda was truly a treasure to the school, whose influence will not be forgotten. She is bound to make waves wherever she finds herself.”
Sowu obtained eight A1s, with a T-Score of 595.1671. Her academic achievements included an average GPA of 3.94, health prefect, University Basic School, head girl, Legacy Girls’ College and awards for Literature, History, Government and Physical Education (year 1-3).
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The college said Sowu has a high sense of responsibility and drive for excellence, kept a high profile throughout her stay, leadership qualities were recognised early and served as a bridge between students and the school administration:
“Paula was a great footballer who played with passion in the school football team. An active member of the Scripture Union. She lived the values of her faith in and out of the classroom. She was an exemplary leader of whom the school was proud. She worked hard to maintain a high GPA, peaking at 3.94.”
Aba had a T-Score of 590.4479, with eight A1s. She was the overall best graduating student in English Language, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Integrated Science and Sign Language, was library perfect and 2025 valedictorian.
Her school noted: “Aba demonstrated exceptional academic prowess right from the first term of form one by obtaining A1 in each of the 11 subjects written in the school and won the Acer Award throughout her period of studies at Hope College.
“She always placed first position on the order of merit for each term’s examination, and this earned her the endearing accolade ‘the Yaa Asantewaa of Hope College’ by the head of school.
“Her achievements would serve as a testament to all students that hard work; diligence, integrity, humility, selflessness and perseverance pay lasting dividends to those who pursue excellence anchored in a virtuous character.”
President John Mahama congratulated WAEC on its 74th anniversary and stated that the government and people of Ghana are honoured to host the meeting of WAEC.
He also commended the member governments of WAEC for their efforts to sustain this great institution and lend credibility to their assessment efforts.
He said his government would continue to collaborate with other member governments to provide the necessary support to build strong structures and enhance operational efficiency and sustainability.
Mahama noted that WAEC has remained, for more than seven decades, one of the most successful examples of regional collaboration on the African continent: “As an assessment body, the council has made significant strides in upholding educational standards through credible examinations.”
He averred that countless citizens of the West African Sub-region, holding enviable positions, are products of the rigorous and trusted systems that WAEC have put in place.
The president commended the council for the innovative mechanisms put in place to maintain fairness, transparency, and integrity in its examination process.
He, however, stressed that the surge in examination malpractices threatens to erode these enviable goals. He added that the plethora of fraudsters, all too ready to falsify results and alter certificates, threatens the very core of WAEC’s mandate.
He warned that if care is not taken, the Council risks losing its credibility to these fraudsters. Adding that this unfortunate development is not a challenge to be surmounted by the council alone, and called on stakeholders who have truth, honesty, and integrity as our core values to collectively defend the credibility of the Council’s examinations by saying no to malpractice and yes to integrity.
