Intense competition cause of BECE leakage – Prof Dominic Fobih

Former Education Minister Prof Dominic Fobih has attributed the leakage of the Basic education Certificate Examination papers to intense competition between schools to outperform each other.

According to him, because most schools don’t want to score zeros or low marks during the BECE examination, they do anything to ensure that their students pass.

This encourages the leakage of the papers.

Prof Fobih’s comment follows the leakage and subsequent cancellation of five subjects in the ongoing BECE supervised and conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

A statement confirming the cancelation was released by the examination administration body Wednesday.

Signed by Mrs. Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, the statement listed the following papers are having been "compromised".

Prof. Dominic Fobih was Minister of Education in the erstwhile Kufuor administration.

Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show ‘Dwaso Nsem” Thursday, Fobih believes there is no way students should be blamed for the leakage adding that it was simply a leadership problem.

But he did not spare the teachers and education authorities of blame.

Prof Fobih fears that this form of corruption, if not dealt with immediately will affect the integrity and moral judgment of the students in the long term.

He called on government and the stakeholders in the education sector to, as a matter of urgency, modify the
objectives of the BECE.

The former Member of Parliament for Assin South Constituency said pupils do not have to qualify to go to SHS.

He said it is important to make SHS the mandatory terminal point, instead of using the BECE to terminate some pupils’ education.

Former Education Minister Dominic Fobih is calling for the complete restructuring of the BECE because “it lacks depth”.

According to the Professor, BECE should be an exam that seeks to identify the strengths of pupils and place them in their various preferred programmes like business, science, visual and arts at the Senior High
School (SHS) level.

In his view,” it is necessary to change the focus of the BECE” from its current selective system to a placement system which will be more beneficial to the student.

There is no need to sift through the candidates and take the supposed brilliant ones to SHS, every student’s strength in a particular subject or programme should be the standpoint for SHS education.

Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba
Akwa

Teacher charged following death of coconut- climbing student

The teacher who allegedly caused the death of the 17-year-old student of the Suhum Aboabo Sonkor Presbyterian Basic School in the Eastern region, has been remanded into police custody.

Suhum police say Richard Djamgba’s teacher known only as “Sir Johnson” was arrested three days ago after he returned to the town on private business.

Sir Johnson, a Science teacher, in October last year, forced his pupil Richard Djamgba to climb a coconut
tree to pluck a fruit for him to quench his thirst.

He fell at least 15 feet from the tree and was left paralyzed. He developed urine retention and other complications.

Lack of funds deprived him of surgery at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Richard Djamgba died last weekend.

According to Joy News’ Eastern regional correspondent Kofi Siaw, the teacher was transferred out of the school following the incident.

But the police took advantage of his return to arrest him.

The previous charge of murder has been changed to exposure to danger.

Sir Johnson looked shaken and intimidated when he appeared at the Suhum magistrate court Thursday.

He was said to have come in the company of some teachers who were showing solidarity to him.

The court has now remanded him into custody to reappear on June 30.

Source: Myjoyonline.com

BECE leakage: NAGRAT calls for immediate resignation of WAEC boss

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has asked for the head of the Ghana Office of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) Sam Ollennu to step down.

This follows the massive leakage and cancellations of five papers in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate
Examination (BECE).

The Association also wants the dissolution of the WAEC Board.

Joy News’ Michaela Anderson was at a news conference and reports that NAGRAT is blaming WAEC for the leakage.

The group said it was necessary for the Rev Ollennu to step aside because his continuous presence as the Council’s head will influence the investigation process.

Vice President of NAGRAT, Angel Kabonu said “the results that students churn out is a reflection of our competence or otherwise and if people are adamant to our call…because our call does not stem from only what has happened this year, we have series of historical developments that we will present to the table, if that is not done we will have to reconsider our relationship with that examination body.

“Don’t forget the questions are from us, the assessment and marking of the examination is from us, we invigilate the examination and without us the examination cannot go on”, he added.

He indicated that examination body should be blamed for the leakage and no one else.

“When papers leak and the questions are on the internet, whatsApp and students could email them, then we will have to ask ourselves the question ‘where is it coming from’, definitely it is coming from WAEC”.

Angel Kabonu says students should not be made to pay for the incompetence of the Council.

Founder of Ashesi University, Patrick Awuah agrees with NAGRAT.

He is angry about how this canker continues to fester adding that the first step in dealing with cheating during examinations is for leadership of WAEC to be dismissed.

“We need to get beyond announcing the leakage and cancelling papers and really get into a process of house cleaning at WAEC, they really need to clean their house because clearly, individuals within that organisation are causing these leakages”.

These individuals according to him, need to be identified and sanctioned and “if we are unable to find these individuals who are doing this, I would say they need to look at the leadership of WAEC because at the end of the day the buck has to stop somewhere”.

Patrick Awuah said the leakages are occurring as a result of a weak leadership at WAEC and “that leadership must be changed”.

He added that the situation will not change unless tough measures and decisions are taken.

Source: Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa

Picketing nursing trainee students have been suspended

The trainee nurses from Dunkwa Nursing Training College who picketed in Accra to demand unpaid allowances have been suspended Myjoyonline.com can confirm.

The students numbering about 500 spent the night in Accra on May 18, 2015 after they were bused from Cape Coast to protest three years of unpaid allowances.

The leaders of the picketers later met with the Health Minister Alex Segbefia who promised to have their allowances paid.

Myjoyonline.com can confirm that a month after meeting the Minister the students have still not received their allowances.

Rather they have been suspended with some facing the risk of having their registration to take part in the final state diploma licensing examination revoked.

The punitive measures were taken by the Advisory Board of the school.

In a letter signed by the Board Chair of the School Nana Addai Gyambra said the Dunkwa midwifery is built on the solid foundation of patience, tolerance, respect for authorities and obedience for which reason the school will not countenance any form of disrespect from the students.

"I must state this institution is governed by rules and regulations which every student is under obligation to obey every bit of it to the letter . The advisory board and management of the school will not sit down for the students to dictate what goes on in the school.

Discipline still rules and it will continue to be the hallmark of the school," Addai Gyambra stated in the letter to the students which Myjoyonline.com has intercepted.

While condemning the decision by the students to board eight buses to Accra without authorization from the school authorities, the advisory board said it is even more disappointed that the student leaders have shown no sign of remorse and have even refused to apologise for their action.

For the gross insubordination, the board has applied the following sanctions; "Write an apology letter to the school's management board members, stakeholders, Association executives, Nananom and the Minister of Health.

"Your are required to sign a bond to be of good behavior.

"The first two requirements are to be met by June 18, 2015, 12:00pm prompt," the first part of the punitive measures read.

The affected students must also perform "two weeks of internal suspension with hard labour ie. 19th-26th June and the second week starting from 10th-17th July 2015.

"Note for the outgoing students , failure to comply with these directives with immediate effect will compel the school to revoke their registration to take part in the impending final state diploma licensing examination and for the continuing students, the rest
will follow," the last part of the sanctions read.

Source:  Myjoyonline.com | Nathan Gadugah

School heads found culpable in BECE leakage will be sanctioned – GES

The Acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Jacob Kor says there will be tough sanctions for teachers and headteachers who may be found culpable in the leakage of examination papers and other examination malpractices.

Speaking to journalists in the Volta Regional capital, Ho on the sidelines of a meeting with District Directors,
he indicated that teachers and headteachers who assist students during examinations cannot be left
unpunished.

He said a teacher in the Eastern region has already been sanctioned for helping a student to cheat in an examination.

The said teacher, according to him will face the regional disciplinary committee of the GES and as soon
as investigations are concluded, the appropriate action will be taken.

Jacob Kor said those who indulge in this act must be punished, adding that “let’s teach our generation the right thing, the truth nothing but the truth.

“If we encourage them to engage in examination malpractices, they will end up killing us the hospitals as quack doctors because they have not learnt enough”, he added.

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) Wednesday June 17, cancelled five papers in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) after a massive leakage was noticed.

A statement confirming the cancelation was released by the examination body Wednesday.

Signed by Mrs. Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, the statement listed the following papers as having been "compromised".

Meanwhile, some of the candidates say they are struggling to come to terms with the news that five papers they have written have been cancelled.

Some of them who spoke to Joy News’ Hannah Odame today at their examination centers say this will affect their preparation for the last two papers.

“I feel so bad. I couldn’t eat last night, some of my friends have fainted and are on admission at the hospital currently”, one student told Hannah when she was asked how she felt about the cancellation.

Some of the students who had gone to their various examination centres to write the French paper scheduled for this morning said they had no idea the papers had been cancelled.

Others pleaded with the Council to allow them write their papers because they had no hand in the leakage neither did they have any idea about it.

Source:  Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa

WAEC: We accept responsibility for paper leakage

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has accepted responsibility for the leakage of some of the BECE examination papers.

WAEC cancelled 5 papers in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) after they realized the questions have been leaked and was circulating on various social media platforms especially Whatsapp.

Agnes Tei Cudjoe, Head of Public Relations at WAEC told Kwami Sefa Kayi on Thursday’s edition of ‘Kokrokoo’, that as a government body in charge of exams, “we take ultimate responsibility” for the leakage and we are conducting investigations to find out where the leakage came from.

She said even though the re-take of the cancelled papers is going to be difficult for the students, “we appeal to teachers and parents to support them to prepare for the papers. We pledge to ensure that it doesn’t happen again”.

Source: peacefmonline.com

Leak of 5 BECE papers: BNI probes WAEC and questions Rev. Samuel Ollennu

The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has taken over investigations into the leak of five subject papers in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

In line with that, the head of the West
African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Ghana, Rev. Samuel Ollennu was questioned Wednesday by the BNI on the orders of the National Security Council Secretariat.

Security sources told the Daily Graphic that WAEC could not be trusted to investigate itself as the magnitude of the leak could not have occurred without the connivance of some officials of the examination body.

The sources said the government was determined to take drastic action to punish anybody who was culpable to forestall a recurrence.

Yesterday WAEC announced the
cancellation of five subject papers in the ongoing BECE.

They are Papers 2 of English Language; Religious and Moral Education; Integrated Science; Mathematics, and Social Studies.

This followed the discovery by the WAEC that those papers had leaked and, thereby, the integrity of the papers had been compromised.

Rewrite

According to a statement signed and issued in Accra Wednesday by the Deputy Director of Public Affairs of WAEC, Mrs Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, the leaked papers had been rescheduled to be re-taken on June 29 and 30, 2015.

The statement said in addition to other sources where the papers had been leaked, they had also gone viral on social media, especially on Whatsapp Messenger.

“In pursuance of its quest to demonstrate its abhorrence of examination malpractice of any sort, safeguard the sanctity of its examinations and integrity of certificate issued, the council has cancelled the listed papers.

“As such, Social Studies 1 and 2
examinations slated for today, June 18, 2015 will not be administered.”

However, the remaining papers, French and Information Communication Technology (ICT) would be written as scheduled for today, June 18 and tomorrow, June 19 respectively.

Inconvenience

The council, the statement said, regretted any inconveniences caused stakeholders and, in particular, candidates who did not involve themselves in the malpractice.

It further called on stakeholders to
appreciate that the re-administration of the examination was in the interest of the candidates and to restore public confidence and credibility in the outcome of the examination.

Measures

“Candidates and stakeholders are hereby assured that all the necessary measures are being put in place to forestall the recurrence of the malpractice,” it said.

Meanwhile, the statement said, investigations were in progress to unearth the full facts of the malpractice.

“The council is determined to follow the case to its logical conclusion and will not shield any person including its own staff who will be found culpable,” the statement added.

Background

This year’s BECE started on Monday, June 15, 2015 with English Language and Religious and Moral Education.

A total of 438,030 candidates, made up of 229,724 males and 208,306 females, are writing the examination.

The number of candidates represents an increase of 15,084 over last year’s figure of 422,946 final-year junior high school (JHS) students who registered for the examination.

About 13,434 basic schools, both public and private, are taking part in the examination being written at 1,546 centres across the country.

The examination is being invigilated by 1,546 supervisors and 1,466 assistant supervisors.

Minister’s advice

During a visit to some examination
centres, the Minister of Education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, advised the candidates and students to ensure the sanctity of the examination by avoiding malpractices.

Parents on WAEC

Some parents have blamed WAEC and some of its staff for the leak of the examination questions, adding that candidates should not suffer for the inability of the council to police its
papers.

One parent, Madam Yaa Boahemaa, told the Daily Graphic that her son had virtually become frail because of the examination.

“This is going to have a psychological
effect on the children. My son has for the past one month cut short his sleep because of the examination, and I can’t imagine how he is going to write five papers in two days,” she said.

Another parent, Mr Stephen Sah, said the porous security system of WAEC was responsible for the leak, and asked “if the papers leaked who do you blame?”

He said asking the children to rewrite the papers was an unnecessary burden on them, warning that if they did not take care someone would take them on for failing to put their house in order.

Madam Ama Debrah believed that the parents of candidates should come together to take WAEC on, possibly in court.

“These kids have sacrificed themselves and spent sleepless nights to go through the examination, and now look at what has happened.

For me I blame some of us parents,
teachers and schools that want the children to pass the examination through foul means,” Madam Debrah added.

Source:  Emmanuel Bonney, Graphic Online

BECE leakage: I paid ₵200 - Parent confesses

Following a massive leakage of BECE questions, a parent has told Joy News he paid  ₵200 to authorities in the school where his ward is a student.

A parent, Yaw Owusu, in the Ashanti Region was told it was for the BECE exams.

Yaw Owusu also explained that some invigilators emptied the pockets of all the monies belonging to the students in the examination room before exams began.

According to him, the teachers and invigilators claim the money was to help them in the BECE.

A nationwide probe is already underway as WAEC comes under fire for failing to stop the leakage.

Ghana Education Campaign Coalition's Bright Appiah believes “the whole system is responsible for this” and that every step of the process of examination administration can be faulted.

"It is unfortunate that we have to go through this again", he told Joy News Wednesday.

The West African Examination Council on Wednesday, cancelled five papers and postponed the writing of two papers following widespread leakage in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

A statement confirming the cancelation was released by the examination administration body.

The leakage was displayed on social media Wednesday.

It has left parents, candidates and the education ministry fuming after what has been called one of the most embarrassing examination leakages in the history of the West African Examination Council.

Source: myjoyonline.com

BECE candidates blame WAEC for leakage

Some distraught candidates in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination have blamed the West African Examination Council (WAEC) for the leakage of some of the examination papers.

According to them, they believe there was a breach in the security of the examination organisers, hence the leakage.

WAEC on Wednesday cancelled five papers, including Social Studies, which was to be taken on Thursday following leakage of the papers.

But some of the candidates are angry over the decision and argued that WAEC should have allowed the examination to continue while they investigate the schools and those found culpable, punished.

One of the candidates who spoke to Citi News said “ I think WAEC has a big role to play in this action. It was a bad action and the decision they took, it was not everyone who got the questions so they should have gone through and investigate the schools who got the questions and cancel their papers or penalise them for
that.”

Another candidate alleged, “It was the people guarding the papers that deceived them and took photos of the questions and shared them on social media. Their security was not that tight and the person who took the photograph of the question was from WAEC.”

“They set the question and it must not get out of their offices unless it was time so it’s their fault because the security must be tight. How do you set the paper and allow it to leak?” another candidate asked.

WAEC to be sued

Meanwhile a parent of one of the candidates in the Brong Ahafo region, has threatened t o sue WAEC for the cancellation.

The parent, Johnson Owusu Tawiah argued that reasons for the cancellation were not enough, hence his resolve.

He has thus given WAEC a 24-hour ultimatum to give reasonable explanation or face him in court.

WAEC under investigation

The Ministry of Education has further directed the country’s security agencies to investigate circumstances leading to the leakage and subsequent cancellation of some Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) papers.

A Deputy Minister of Education in charge of pre-tertiary education, Alex Kyeremeh said the news of the cancellation came as a surprise to the Ministry, hence the decision to seek an intervention from the security agencies.

Source: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com

Parent to sue WAEC over cancelled BECE papers

A parent of one of the candidates writing the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) has threatened to drag the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to court for the cancellation of some papers.

The parent, Owusu Tawiah Johnson who resides in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region said his son did not benefit from the said leaked exam papers and is therefore demanding an explanation from WAEC within 24 hours or else he will head to the court.

Five papers have been cancelled by WAEC in the ongoing BECE following a leakage of the questions.

The subjects are English Language 2, Religious and Moral Education 2, Science 2, and Mathematics 2 and Social Studies 2.

The Social Studies paper scheduled to be written on Thursday will not take place.

The Examination Council explained that it cancelled the papers to protect the integrity of the examination after questions from the cancelled papers had gone viral on social media after it was leaked by some unknown persons.

The cancelled papers will however be written on June, 29 and 30, 2015.

In an interview on Eyewitness News, Mr. Johnson said his son is distraught and so he is unsure if he will be in the right frame of mind to write the remaining papers.

“I don’t understand why they should do that and I want to ask WAEC; have they thought of the psychological problems that will come on the children? As it is now, I don’t even know whether my ward can write the examination which is yet to come because he is really down,” he disclosed.

He said it is important for him to sue WAEC because they must be forced to take full responsibility for the leakage.

“I have to go to court because if you say there was an examination leakage, who caused that? It is your fault which means that somebody at WAEC must be blamed and not the candidate.”

An angry Mr. Johnson added that, “in Ghana, the candidates are always blamed. Why? Anytime there is a problem, it is the candidate that suffers…if WAEC doesn’t come out and give us a very vivid explanation as to what they are doing, in 24 hours, I will go to the court and then show them.”

Source: Efua Idan Osam/ citifmonline.com

National Security to investigate leakage of BECE papers

The National Security has been tasked to conduct thorough investigations into the leakage of the 2015 Basic Education Certificate Examination question papers.

Deputy Education Minister, Alex Kyeremeh, said the investigation will be independent of what the West African Examination Council has begun doing.

Five papers including Mathematics 2, religious and moral education, English Language 2, and Science 2 have all been cancelled.

Social Studies will also not be taken tomorrow, whilst French and ICT will be written as scheduled.

The widespread leakage has left the country shocked as WAEC struggles to explain the circumstances under which the leakage occurred.

WAEC says it will not shield anybody found culpable for the scandal.

The Head of WAEC, Very Rev. Samuel Nii Nmai Ollennu told Joy News' Kwetey Nartey an investigation has begun to unravel how the papers were leaked.

But even before WAEC concludes its investigation, the Education Ministry has ordered a parallel investigation to be undertaken by national security.

Deputy Education Minister in charge of Basic Education Alex Kyeremeh said the ministry has given WAEC all the resources it needs and wondered why such a leakage would occur.

This is not the first time examination papers have been leaked in recent times.

Last year, a police officer at Atiwa, Lance Corporal Prince Opoku was indicted for breaking a seal on WAEC examination papers, taking photographs of the examination questions with his phone and subsequently leaking them to students.

He was allegedly contracted by a school proprietor to leak the papers and was paid 4,000 cedis for his work, the police report said.

One year on, the docket is yet to be sent to the Attorney General's department for prosecution.

Rev Ollenu had, prior to the 2015 leakage raised concerns about the failure of the police to prosecute the officer.

He is disappointed with the latest leakage, promising the Council will get to the bottom of the matter.

Source: myjoyonline.com