The spate of examination leakage in Ghana is rising to intolerable levels. More worrying is the fact that the despicable practice is now taking deep root at the basic and second cycle levels of education in Ghana.
Consequently, the West African Examinations Council in particular is gradually losing its grips on the management of examinations in the country and slowly turning its examinations into Banana Papers—papers that slip into some unauthorized hands even before the day of the examination arrives. People of various descriptions including parents, teachers, and examination officials (taking advantage of social media) now freely circulate and discuss leaked examination papers with impunity and reckless abandon. Others also prefer to bribe examiners or invigilators to look the other way while they collude with other candidates during examinations.
What this means is that examinations which are supposed to be means by which people who have undergone a period of learning (either in school or as an apprentice) are assessed to determine whether they have really imbibed the objectives of their training; or methods by which organizations recruit applicants for jobs are losing their place as credible means of assessment or selection.
Five thousand six hundred and fifty-three (5,653) students were caught cheating in 2013 WAEC exams while in 2014 the number stood at eight thousand and fifty-one (8,051). When in 2015 questions from the BECE leaked massively and some of the papers had to be cancelled and re-written, many would have expected that lessons would be learned and more stringent measures taken to bring the situation under control. But alas, 2016 came and there is repeat. An official of WAEC was reported saying what happened this year is not leakage but foreknowledge (and perhaps foreplay.) Interesting!
Purpose of Education
Today, most people assume, erroneously that, to be successful, one must go to school and be in possession of one certificate or the other. Dr K.B. Asante, Ghanaian Diplomat and Writer points out in his article “What Do We Want Education to achieve?” published in the July 6, 2015 edition of the “Daily Graphic” that: “To many, formal education is no more preparation for service but an avenue for self-aggrandizement.”
But the main purpose of getting education is to enhance competencies and skills as well as building capacity for social development. So the mere possession of certificates with good grades is not enough proof of competence. Martin Luther King Jnr believes that the function of educations is to enable a person become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life; and also train him for quick, resolute and effective thinking.
That is the point. Formal should enable people develop minds that enables them contribute to providing solutions to the myriad of problems confronting humanity.
Tackling the Malpractice
The rising incidence of examination leakages if not checked will soon become a banana skin for this country just as the Panama Papers were to Panama, politicians and a host of other rich and famous people. (The Panama Papers were a leaked set of 11.5million confidential documents that provided detailed information about more than 214,000 offshore companies listed by Mossack Fonseca, a corporate service provider in Panama which has been working to protect the identities of shareholders and directors of several companies around the world.) While many anti-corruption crusaders across the world hail this leakage, same cannot be true for any examination leakage.
In tackling the rising incidence of exam leakages, care must be taken not to adopt the fire-fighting approach but a holistic, bottom-up approach which involves a comprehensive assessment of the situation taking cognizance of the overall aims of education in this country. The point must be made that emphasis on the grammar type of education which puts a lot of weight on academic qualifications and examination results is a major cause of academic dishonesty. It is about time that those in the business of education delivery as well those whose jobs focus on national development begin to work together, now more than ever before.
The WAEC itself has been reported to be taking steps to cure this canker. They have been said to be considering measures such as annual rotation and rewards for exam centre invigilators as well adopting advanced technology. What are the details of such a move? Does it include fixing close circuit television (cctv) cameras at vantage locations in their depots as well as examination centres? How about adopting multiple verification of candidates and biometric screening system? How about introducing computer-based examinations? How much will all these cost?
And, how about setting up “Academic Courts” to deal expeditiously with academic related offences (exam malpractices, plagiarism, etc.) and to hand down stiff punishments to culprits to serve as deterrent to others?
NO WONDER AN S D A SCHOOL PRODUCT