By Godfred A. Polkuu
Gbedema (U/E), Jan. 5, GNA – Dr Clement Abasinaab Apaak, the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Education Committee, says the next National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) government will ensure that the West African Examination Council (WAEC) is adequately resourced to check examination malpractices.
He said the NDC government under the leadership of Mr John Dramani Mahama, would introduce educational reforms in the country to include the provision of resources for WAEC to properly execute its mandate.
“As we speak, the current government owes WAEC GHȻ136million. So, WAEC is not able to recruit and deploy sufficient independent invigilators.
“What turns out to happen is that some of the very same teachers who teach in these schools are relied upon by WAEC, and that makes it easier for them to execute these kinds of cheating schemes,” he said.
Dr Apaak, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Builsa South Constituency in the Upper East Region, spoke to the Ghana News Agency in an interview on the sideline of the ‘Gbedem Mabrin Tom,’ an annual durbar of the Chief and people of Gbedema, a community in the Constituency.
The Deputy Ranking Member emphasised that, “the immediate concern to be addressed is the proper resource of WAEC to ensure that WAEC is able to recruit sufficient, independent invigilators to invigilate these exams.”
He advocated a system where students would be made to answer different questions in examination halls and said it would check the rampant acts of cheating among students in schools.
“The other reform we will be looking at, is to make sure that we give different questions to different groups of students. So, when you have a situation where there is no synergy in terms of the questions, it makes it difficult for any organized form of cheating,” he said.
Dr Apaak said there were best practices in other parts of the world that Ghana could emulate moving forward, to improve the educational system.
“All these are in the ultimate interest of the student. If they get grades that they cannot defend, they will go to tertiary institutions, and be given some of the most sought-after courses such as Medicine, Law, Nursing, Administration, and they will be struggling.
“As we speak, many lecturers in the tertiary institutions have complained. Students get ‘A1s’ in English Language and yet, they cannot compose basic sentences.
“A student gets an ‘A1’ in mathematics and cannot solve a simple mathematical equation. How do you explain that? Is that what we want?” Dr Apaak quizzed.
The Deputy Ranking Member said, “We are doing a great disservice to the future of this nation. It is in our best interest as a country to address this issue head on and stop pretending.”
Touching on Former President Mahama’s comment on examination malpractices in West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Dr Apaak said the issue of cheating in examination was not a new phenomenon.
“So, the context within, which the Former President spoke, had to do with documented reports by WAEC itself, and by reputable, recognised and respected education sector Civil Society Organizations like Africa Education Watch,” the MP explained.
“So, he was speaking to already existing documented reports, and was making the point that as a nation, we ought to be looking at how we can address this issue before it gets out of control,” Dr Apaak clarified.
GNA.