Stakeholders urged to curb exam malpractices

 A retired educationist, Mr Costers Nketiah, has called on government and all other stakeholders in education to take keen interest in addressing examination mal­practices in the country.

According to him, the issue which occurs almost every year, particularly among the senior high schools students should not be left alone to the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to deal with.

Mr Nketiah said: “Govern­ment must take an uncompro­mising stands against those be­hind this criminal enterprise by delving into the root cause of the issue. And this would send the right signal to those involve in the illegal trade to have a rethink of their activities.”

The retired educationist, who was also a former chief examin­er, made the call in an exclusive interview with The Ghanaian Times, here in Sunyani on Thurs­day.

Mr Nketia also suggested that, “there must be stringent measures like severe sanctions in place to deter the pepetrators from indulg­ing in this unholy enterprise.”

He explained that a situation where students, teachers, invigi­lators and parents are willing to compromise the system must be a source of worry to all, stressing the effect of this practice has a dire consequences on Ghana’s education.

Recently, there was confusion at the Bono Regional office of WAEC in Sunyani when the exam body invited some students for interrogation for allegedly engag­ing in exam malpractices in core subjects like science, mathematics during last year’s WASSCE.

Some parents, who accompa­nied their children to this invita­tion, engaged WAEC officials in a confrontation, calling for a swift response from the police.

The Bono Regional Minis­ter, Joseph Addae Akwaboa, in a meeting with journalists on Tuesday emphasized thatt as part of measures to check the menace, teachers and headmasters have been warned that severe sanctions would be meted out to any school involve in examination malprac­tices in the region.

 FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, SUNYANI