The Ministry of Education, Science and Sports says it has reached an agreement with public universities on the interpretation of grades for admission of WASSCE/SSSCE graduates to respective programs of study. In an interview with Joy News after a meeting held between the universities, National Council for Tertiary Education, the West Africa Examinations Council and the Education Ministry, the acting Director General of the Ghana Education Service, Michael Nsowah told joy news candidates with respective SSCE and WASSCE qualifications would be treated on their own merit. WASSCE candidates should have credits in both the core and elective subjects from A1 to C6 to qualify for admission and in computing the aggregates, the following numerical values should apply: A1 is equivalent to 1 (A); B2 is 2 (B); B3 is 3 (C); and C4, C5, C6 is equivalent to 4 (D). A statement jointly signed by Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, Chairman of Vice Chancellors Council and Mr Ato Essuman, Chief Director of the Ministry said the universities instituted the necessary procedures to address concerns of all applicants. The statement said the explanation was necessary following the concerns raised by applicants and other stakeholders regarding the interpretation of the grades for admission of WASSCE candidates to the respective programmes of study in the Universities. Student leaders at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi had asked for the immediate suspension of the sale of admission forms by the various universities in the country to make room for a unified grading standard. Their demand followed what the students said were serious problems that led to confusion among applicants with the new West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSSCE) results. They claimed that while some universities were not following new aggregate conversions proposed by WAEC, others were rejecting applicants using WASSCE results all together. They said for instance, while the Valley View University was not admitting students using the WASSSCE, public universities and the Pentecost University College were not applying the WAEC approved conversion system. According to the local NUGS President, the KNUST for instance left the burden of conversion of WASSSCE grades to SSSCE equivalent to applicants, while a December 21 circular by the university on the sale of admission forms did not recognise certain grades of the WASSCE. According to Dennis Agyei Dwomoh, KNUST NUGS President, there were conflicting results as to the rate of conversion, for while the WAEC’s rates were different from what the universities were applying, the private universities were applying their own standards.