WASSCE: Teacher interdicted for exam malpractice

The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, has directed that a Mathematics tutor of the Kade Senior High Technical School (SHTS) in the Eastern Region, Mr Evans Yeboah, be interdicted.

Directive

Briefing the Daily Graphic yesterday on the directive, he said Mr Yeboah, who was the invigilator of the Integrated Science paper in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), which was written last Monday, used his position to engage in examination malpractice.

The directive, which took immediate effect, automatically bars the teacher from functioning as an invigilator at the WASSCE, pending the outcome of the investigations into the act.

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa explained that Mr Yeboah had to step aside for the investigations to be carried out so that he would not interfere in the process.

Mr Yeboah has been granted police enquiry bail by the Kade Police.

His crime

“He took a snapshot of the question and sent it outside for someone to solve and send the solution back to him via WhatsApp,” the GES boss stated.

Explaining further, Prof. Opoku-Amankwa said Mr Yeboah was found dictating solutions on the phone to the candidates.

He said the decision to interdict the teacher was to signal to stakeholders and the general public that the GES management would not countenance any misconduct irrespective of the person involved.

Flawless exam

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa said the GES was determined to ensure that the examination was devoid of any malpractices, indicating that “anyone who acts contrary will face the music”.

The Director-General expressed worry that such activities were still taking place in spite of the strongly worded letters that were sent to district and regional directors of education to relay to all the schools.

Warning

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa said before the commencement of the examination, the management of the GES reminded all regional and district directors of education, supervisors and invigilators to take extra precautionary measures to ensure that the examinations were free from any malpractice.

“In that earlier letter, management of GES is particularly concerned with the tendency for some persons to take WhatsApp shots of some question papers and circulate them to create the mischief that the examination questions leaked.

“All supervisors, invigilators and candidates are to be extra careful and look out for such unacceptable practices, since any such reported case will be thoroughly investigated and all those found culpable will be made to face the full rigours of the law,” Prof. Opoku-Amankwa warned.

Advice to candidates

Advising the candidates, the Director-General urged them to be extra conscious of activities which will have the potential of undermining the integrity of the examination.

“Candidates must strive for independent work and depend on their individual abilities. Candidates should also be mindful of the implications of misconduct during the examinations, which could lead to suspension and or cancellation of results and the negative impact that development might have on their future prospects.

“Management stands by all the key players in the administration and conduct of the examination and wish to urge all to work together to protect the integrity of the examinations,” Prof. Opoku-Amankwa said.

Tweneboa Kodua SHS riots

In a related development, the District Security Committee (DISEC) of Sekyere Kumawu in the Ashanti Region has set up a three-member committee to investigate the issues that led to the near boycott of the WASSCE by final-year students of the Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School at Kumawu, reports Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor.

The committee, which is headed by the District Director of Education, was tasked to ascertain the veracity of the allegations of ill treatment levelled against the headmaster, Mr Francis Awuah, by the students.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Samuel Addai Agyekum, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic yesterday said calm had been restored to the school.

On Monday, the students went on the rampage, overturned the tables and benches at the dining hall and refused to eat the food prepared for them while they threatened to boycott the examination if the headmaster was not sacked.

They accused the headmaster of being “too strict” and also unjustifiably seizing and destroying the mobile phone of an invigilator.

The students claimed the headmaster was too strict on the invigilators and that the seating arrangements in the examination halls were not friendly to them.

DISEC intervention

According to the DCE, when he heard of the agitations of the students, he quickly stepped in and together with the police, restored calm and order to the school and later had a talk with the students to reassure them that their grievances would be looked into.

“The DISEC does not have the right to sack or demand that a headmaster be transferred. That is the work of the district directorate of education. Our main concern was to ensure that calm was restored to the school to enable the students to write their exam,” he said.