Former Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has delivered a heartfelt message to final-year students writing the 2025 WASSCE.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful has urged the candidates to stay focused, believe in themselves, and remember that true success comes through hard work, not shortcuts.

Speaking in a special WASSCE edition of News in Focus on Joy Learning TV, the Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe constituency reflected on the journey of the candidates and the importance of mindset during the exam period.

“All too soon, three years have come. They walked into school three years ago. For some of them, I had a wonderful opportunity to visit them at the time,” he said.

He described the WASSCE period as a defining moment in their academic journey, and assured students that their preparation had not been in vain.

“Now, three years have come to an end and they are writing their WASSCE. I want them to know that the teachers in this country are the finest found anywhere in the world. So they have been prepared well,” he noted.

Dr. Adutwum stressed that focus and determination are the most important ingredients for success during the exam.

“They should be determined. They should understand that there are no shortcuts to success. If they focus, and do not engage in any malpractice, they will end up doing very well and their future will be very bright,” he highlighted.

He acknowledged that many students struggle with fear and self-doubt, especially when facing difficult subjects like Mathematics, but to those students, he offered a clear solution rooted in mindset.

“One of the issues we have is students saying to themselves, ‘I am afraid. It is Mathematics and I am afraid. I don’t think I can do well. What I tell students is to have a positive self-talk, where you tell yourself you will do well. Talk to yourself, assure yourself. And as a person of faith, you also pray,” he encouraged.

He advised candidates to build self-confidence through calm preparation and good exam technique.

“Be self-confident and assured that if you focus, read the questions and understand before you begin, you will always score very high,” he further urged.

Dr. Adutwum also had practical exam advice on how students should approach answering questions under timed conditions.

“When it comes to the theory component, there are a number of cases where the person is not sure of question one, but because it is the first question, they spend their time on that. By the time they realize, since it is a time test, time is up and they didn’t get to take a look at other questions that may be easier,” he explained.

He urged students to be strategic in their approach.

“That is why the first rule is: read through all the questions and select the one that you want to do first and answer that question quickly. Because if you are able to get that question right, it boosts your confidence to solve the difficult questions,” he advised.

“Even if you are required to solve all the problems, make sure to always solve the one that is easy first, to give you the self-confidence to tackle the difficult ones,” he added.

Dr. Adutwum wrapped up his remarks with a vote of confidence in both teachers and students.

“When we were there, we were helping with Chief Examiners in the preparation of teachers. There were Chief Examiners who travelled around the country and helped teachers in terms of what they need to do to support the candidates.

“I am hopeful they have done it this year too. So with that kind of preparation, I am sure they are going to do very well. I wish them well,” he concluded.