The Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has cautioned that although WAEC has over the years battled with examination leakages, the overwhelming scale of leakage of examination papers characterising the past decade calls for serious concern, hence the need for a swift review before Ghana loses its credibility in education on the international front.
“The credibility of the certificates awarded by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Ghana is at stake. The psychological and financial strain that parents and innocent students are subjected to in preparation for a re-sit in events of exam cancellation is traumatising,” Rev Ntim Fordjour has acknowledged.
Rev Ntim Fordjour, in a statement presented on the floor of Parliament on Thursday June 1, 2017, conveyed his best wishes to the candidates scheduled to sit the 2017 BECE which commences on Monday June 5. He essentially expressed concern over the perennial leakages of WAEC examination papers, touching on the implications it has on the image of Ghana on the international front.
According to him, it is an unfortunate phenomenon which grossly undermines the integrity of the education system of Ghana and potentially vitiates the sustenance of the international competitiveness of Ghanaian students.
Perennial examination leakage, according to the MP, had been the bane of the examination body despite the recurring assurances by WAEC.
He also suggested the need for stakeholders to join forces together in preventing any leakage in the pending Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), as he conveyed his best wishes to all candidates who are preparing for the exams.
Citing some instances in 2002 and 2008 where the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were cancelled due to examination leakage, the MP said: “The most embarrassing of the menace occurred in 2016 where amidst the viral transmission of examination questions on various social media platforms hours prior to the scheduled exams, WAEC failed to concede the leakage, but rather insisted on describing the incident as foreknowledge of the questions before commencement of examination,” he emphasised.
He further advised stakeholders to stop the blame game and rather focus on fostering effective collaboration to protect the integrity of examinations.
The grave repercussions, following examination leakage, he stressed, cannot be overemphasised.
“The National Board for Professional and Technical Examination (NABPTEX) has over the years discharged conscientiously [its] mandate of administering schemes of technical, vocational and professional examinations across the country, with an utmost integrity, he said. So if NABPTEX has consistently got it right in Ghana, then WAEC could also succeed in their mandate with optimum commitment to excellence and integrity,” Rev Fordjour added.
The lawmaker also commended WAEC for successfully conducting the 2017 WASSCE without any reported leakage, but was quick to admonish WAEC not to make this success a nine-day wonder.
He concluded by appealing to WAEC, the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), and other stakeholders to be resolute in their commitment to sustain the integrity of examinations conducted in Ghana by WAEC.
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
