WAEC commended for exposing cheating students

Accra, Sept 18, GNA - Adesua Global, a multimedia educational support services organization, on Friday commended the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for publishing names and pictures of students engaged in examination malpractices.

A statement signed by Mr. Daniel Martey, General Manager of Adesua, said: "This act, though seen by some parents as harsh, is very appropriate and indicates commitment of the examining council's intention to combat examamination malpractices which are seemingly becoming a norm. This action is long overdue."

WAEC, since the beginning of this month, has been publishing the names and photographs of students found to have engaged in examination malpractices in the recent Senior High School Certificate Examination. Until the recent action by WEAC, the punitive measures for examination malpractices were limited to cancelling the examination papers of the candidates, banning them for a year and a publication of their names without their pictures.

That, according to Adesua, was not deterrent enough as some culprits denied their actions, changed their names and took WEAC examination before the ban was over.

"Now we have pictures with names which reveal the whole identity of culprits which makes it difficult for them to hide their true identity," it said.

The statement said WEAC's action and the interest it had generated in the public domain was enough to deter prospective candidates. Adesua Global urged parents and guardians to take advantage of WAEC's action to play active roles in the fight against examination malpractices, which had hitherto been left at the doorstep of WAEC and a few other stakeholders within the educational sector.

This action of WAEC, it said, indirectly sought to activate the spirit of Article 28 Section 1(c) of the 1992 Constitution, which suggested that parents undertook their natural right and obligation of care, maintenance and upbringing of their children in co-operation with such institution as Parliament may, by law, prescribe in such manner that in all cases the interest of the children were paramount. "Since parents as well as the educational institutions and the society will not like to be given such a bad publicity, they will all do their parts to counsel candidates and help in fighting this menace. "We think the action of WAEC will be in the interest of the majority of the children as in protecting prospective candidates from dishonesty - not forgetting the fact that these children are our future leaders who will take up the leadership roles in governing this country some years to come."

It urged parents and guardians of affected students to look at the larger picture of how WAEC's action would help to put a stop to such dishonest and fraudulent practices among students.