THE Minister of Education, Harruna Iddrisu, has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to urgently review its examination paper distribution system following reported delays at the Boako examination centre at the start of this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The Minister issued the directive during a monitoring visit to Boako M/A Basic School in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality in the Western North Region yesterday where he inspected examination arrangements together with the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Ernest Kofi Davis.
Addressing the 273 candidates sitting for the exams at that centre and officials, Mr Iddrisu said the delays which have been reported in other parts of the country were unacceptable
He warned that such logistical lapses risk disrupting the smooth conduct of the examination and could undermine public confidence in the process.
Mr Iddrisu, therefore, urged WAEC to take immediate corrective measures to address logistical challenges and ensure the timely delivery of question papers to examination centres across the country.
During the visit, The Ghanaian Times observed that at the said centre, answer booklets had been distributed as restless candidates waited for more than 15 minutes for question papers, a situation which got the Minister irritated.
“Ordinarily, you should have been 15 minutes into the exams. Is that not right? Part of your training was that you should have been seated at 8:30 and start the exams at 9:00. But I see answer sheets without question papers, and they are now on their way.
“So we have to review how exam questions are transported to the examination centres. So, Director-General…[we need] immediate reforms,” Mr Iddrisu stated.
Responding to the delays, the Head of Public Affairs at the WAEC, John Kapi, said the delays may be as a result of the design of the distribution route by the GES at the local level as the Council is not in every district.
“We hope that in the coming days our depot keepers and our regional representatives will be in touch with the district authorities to make sure that they redesign the routes for the papers to get to the students early for the examination to start,” Mr Kapi said on Accra based Joy News TV.
The Minister’s visit to the Western North Region formed part of a broader effort to assess educational infrastructure beyond the national capital and their suitability for teaching and learning.
He observed that facilities at the Boako centre were in a deteriorated state and pledged government intervention to improve conditions.
“We have seen the state of the classrooms, and clearly they are not in the best of shape. Government will respond to improve infrastructure and provide adequate learning materials,” he stated.
On examination malpractice, Mr Iddrisu cautioned candidates against engaging in same as their results risk being cancelled or withheld if they were caught in any such act; disclosing that 178 candidates were affected last year.
He further revealed that eight teachers implicated in malpractice had been prosecuted and subsequently dismissed from the GES.
“We expect the highest standards of integrity from both candidates and invigilators,” he added.
At the Fire Armour examination centre in the La Nkwantanang- Madina Municipality in the Greater Accra Region, Lawrence Vomafa Akpalu reports that the examination papers delayed for about 15 minutes.
Officials explained that the delay was due to the traffic situation, which affected the transportation of the papers from the depot to the centre.
A total of 620,141 candidates from 20,395 schools are sitting for the examination which begun across the country yesterday.
FROM RAYMOND AMPONSAH APPIAH, BOAKO
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