The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that officials found to be involved in acts of corruption during the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will be permanently barred from participating in its activities. In an interview on JoyNews’ PM Express on September 8, WAEC’s Director of Public Affairs, John Kapi, stated that the Council cannot continue to work with individuals who have violated the trust placed in them during national examinations.
“These are individuals who have not demonstrated that they are deserving of the trust we place in them,” he said. Kapi further explained that most decisions regarding the BECE are made by the Ghana Education Service, including the selection of supervisors and invigilators, which is handled by the district exams officer. His remarks follow a JoyNews Hotline investigation led by GH Probe’s Francisca Enchil, which revealed alarming levels of collusion at examination centres.
At the Derby Avenue RC Basic School and St. George’s Anglican Basic School in Accra, invigilators were captured openly demanding GH¢60 daily “tokens,” supervisors pocketed envelopes of GH¢400, and candidates were asked to contribute to an “Aseda Offertory.”
John Kapi stressed that once WAEC provides feedback on such incidents, it is the responsibility of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to take decisive action. “And so when these issues come up, once the feedback goes to them, we [WAEC] expect that they would react appropriately and ensure that the right action is taken against the people,” he said. Pressed by host Evans Mensah on how WAEC deals with compromised officials, Mr Kapi was direct. “Yes, that is what we really do. We blacklist them. They no longer take part in any activity that has to do with the West African Examinations Council.”
Source: Abubakar Ibrahim