Increasing Rate Of Examination Malpractices

THE INCREASING RATE OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICES AMONG PRIVATE WASSCE CANDIDATES: THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE MAJOR STAKE HOLDERS,                               
This year's  November/December West African Secondary School Certificate  Examination is around the corner. This is the time students who could not make it in June try  to better  their grades, and those who are yet to write it, use the Nov/Dec examination to assess  their readiness for next year's examination. 

In order to uphold the integrity of this examination in the country, it is high time we stood up in the spirit of nationalism to lift up the intellectual sword against examination malpractice, an evil which has the potential of preparing the young ones to all kinds of cheating, bribery and corruption as they grow up to occupy responsible positions in the country.  

From the perspective of the West African Examination Council, examination malpractice among  WASSCE candidates takes various forms and may start from the corridors of WAEC, where examination questions are leaked by their officers down to the examination room, where all   the authorities that matter, connive  with  candidates to cheat. 

It has been alleged that the temporal examination officers engaged by the council to manage the Nov/Dec examination, rather encourage this criminal act they are supposed to prevent. 

In fact, the decision of WAEC to use the premises of various public and private Senior  High Schools as examination centers without adopting  measures to check  all forms of cheating in the examination halls, opens the floodgates to teachers who have been employed to invigilate to either solve the questions for the students, or allow them to  teach each other in the examination halls. 

Unfortunately, when cases of cheating are reported, it is the candidates who are punished. Is it not possible to shift the focus from the candidates to  the invigilators, to  also be sanctioned since they are supposed to ensure strict adherence to the rules of examination?.  

To prevent cheating in examination halls during this November/DEcember examination, it is recommended that WAEC should stop using teachers from the schools they use as centers to invigilate. Candidates should be educated to report cases of intimidation during examination to the council. 

In addition,  WAEC  should also consider increasing the price of registration to enable them to rent places like the Trade  Fair and other neutral grounds for future WAEC examinations.  

As efforts are made to reduce bribery and corruption in the country,  WAEC as a body should  strictly apply all its sanctions against the perpetrators of this practice since it has the support of Government to do so, lest by the time our young ones   grow, they are already poised to engage in all forms of bribery and corruption as public officials.  

Ali Bala, National service person Kasoa.