Invigilators refuse to turn up at BECE

Candidates totalling 9,548 were expected to write the Basic Examination Certificate Examination (BECE) at 24 centres within the Tema Municipality with 300 teachers to invigilate.

However, GNA reports that when its reporters went round some of the centres, it came to light that some of the invigilators did not turn up and contingency arrangements were quickly made to bring in some primary school teachers to assist.

For instance, at the Aggrey Road JSS centre, out of 13 invigilators, five did not turn up and according to Mr John N. F. K. Afenyo, Supervisor; he quickly recruited five primary school teachers, who were in their classrooms to take their places.

He explained that this led to 30 minutes delay in the start of the first paper, which was English Language. At Sakumono Complex School, four out of 20 invigilators were absent and Mr Wilfred T. Ashidam disclosed that he anticipated that some of them would be absent and, therefore, had a back up of some primary school teachers, who were roped in to take their places.

He said out of 601 candidates at the centre, eight were absent adding that the same candidates did not report during the annulled April BECE. At Ashaiman Complex School where 403 candidates wrote the examination, seven of them were absent, however, five of them did not take part in April.

In an interview, Mr John Nyahe, Examinations Officer at Tema Municipal Office of the Ghana education Service (GES) said a number of teachers, who were recruited as invigilators, had decided not to supervise the candidates because the remuneration of 55,000 cedis which after tax of 15 percent comes to 42,000 cedis did not merit the risk involved in the work.

He said the teachers complained that if a candidate kept a paper in his pocket and the invigilator did not see it but a WAEC Supervisor came in to take such a paper, the invigilator was punished severely including transfer to another school, and all these happen because of 42,000 cedis, which was meagre.

Mr Nyahe said the teachers also complained that the travelling and transport (T and T) allowance of between 20,000 and 30,000 cedis that was paid to them took about one year to come.