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El Pianim Okyere: MBN360
Pru East MP, Emmanuel Boam, has accused the former Akufo-Addo government of deliberately creating an environment that allowed widespread examination malpractices during the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to boost pass rates under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy. Boam claimed that the weakened examination environment enabled students to pay “examination support levies” that facilitated cheating, while some candidates were reportedly allowed to enter examination halls with mobile phones.
“The system was so compromised that students were asked to pay money for examination support, and you had groups of teachers solving questions elsewhere and passing them on to invigilators,” Boam alleged. He criticized the practice of evaluating headteachers solely based on WASSCE performance despite inadequate logistical and infrastructural support from the state.
Boam has urged the current Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the alleged malpractices and their impact on the integrity of Ghana’s education system.
According to Mr. Boam, these practices artificially inflated WASSCE performance figures, creating the impression that the Free SHS policy had delivered extraordinary academic results.
“There hasn’t been any organised and well-orchestrated examination malpractice than what we saw under the past government,” he stated. “It was properly coordinated between institutions that were compelled to align.”
He also questioned the policy of assessing headteachers solely on WASSCE outcomes despite inadequate logistical and infrastructural support from the state.
“How do you tie the rating of schools to WASSCE results and threaten headteachers with removal when they lack the basic resources to run their institutions?” he asked.
Mr Boam further alleged that students were encouraged to contribute to an “examination support levy,” claiming that some teachers collected money and collaborated with others to solve exam questions and pass them to invigilators for distribution.
“The system was so compromised that students were asked to pay money for examination support, and you had groups of teachers solving questions elsewhere and passing them on to invigilators,” he alleged.
The MP has called on the current Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, to establish a commission of enquiry to investigate the alleged malpractices and their impact on the integrity of Ghana’s education system.
