... 100 students caught in exam malpractices ... says the Rector ... but Crystal Clear LENS investigations reveal otherwise

By: Winson V. A. Addotey

In the midst of lamentations over the quality of human resources Ghanaian tertiary institutions turnout in today's age coupled with the so-called falling standard of education in the country, it appears ineptitude of some Authorities managing the educational sector is still fueling the already precarious situation.

As the old adage says €œEducation is the bedrock of national development€ it is disturbing as it is destructive to the destiny of future leaders of this dear nation, that we lament bitterly about problems rather than solving them pragmatically. Must we throw our hands up in despair and frustration and allow these scandals in our higher institutions of learning and to jeopardize the fabric of our future leaders?

Examination malpractices are increasingly worrying. Students, especially lecturers are equally blamable as they add to aggravate the seeming canker. After the dismissal of the embattled Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Assenso Okyere over exam malpractices that nearly marred the reputation of the august institution, some heads at the tertiary level are still unrepentant.

When students get exam questions popularly known in the local palance €˜apor€™ whether by lecturers or whatever means, other students get disadvantaged for marking schemes. Now, Cape Coast Polytechnic in the Central Region is in a messy situation and bedeviled with even more scandalous situations.

After contacting some non-lecturing staff, students, members of the Student Representative Council (SRC) lecturers, and above all the Rector of the C-Poly, one thing was clear, Ghana needs a messianic leader to marshal all resources to determine the degree of rot in our institutions including the C-Poly.

It was more revealing as it was fascinating listening to and analyzing responses from findings. All the parties except the students that spoke to the CRYSTAL CLEAR LENS failed to collaborate with their partners€™ statements after checking and crosschecking our information.

What did they say?

First, the Rector, Professor Robert K. Nkum, who was inconsistent in his own assertions in a separate telephone interviews with the paper, claimed that about hundred students, which the paper€™s investigation is disputing, were involved in examination malpractices after €˜six students€™ including a lady (names withheld for now) were caught red-handed with the foreign materials copying in the exam hall during their End of Semester Examinations, Wednesday, January 14, 2009.

Against the backdrop, he told the paper, he had set up a Committee of Enquiry chaired by his Vice Rector, Mr. M. D. Koomson, and it had submitted its report to the Academic Board for further considerations. This Board is headed by the Rector himself and months after the School had reopened, Prof. Nkum said the Board was yet to meet on the matter.

The School Authorities were indecisive as to when to bring the €˜culprits€™ of such crimes to book. Meanwhile the final year students are due to start their final exams next week.

However, some lecturers who spoke to the paper on condition of anonymity were apprehensive of the issue since the failure on the part of administration to deal with the suspects would dent the image of the school. They have, thus, vehemently disagreed with the Rector€™s responses, arguing that the Committee was a smokescreen covertly formed to hold back the wrath of students on campus, especially the final year ones till they complete the school. To them, there is more to the issues than meets the eye.

Other lecturers also corroborated that the students had been punished already by ordering them to rewrite. They said a particular controversial paper had been concealed and that they would be surprised if there was any further action, especially when the students would soon complete.

What is the issue? Painstaking investigations by the paper have gathered these pieces of information.

The information reports that in January this year, the School Authorities incurred the anger of the third year students during their End of Semester Examination when they concealed their Risks and Conflicts Management papers for an alleged mass copying by third year students in the Electrical and Building Auditoria halls.

What angered the students most, it further reports, was the fact that it was only the six students who were caught copying and questioned the bases for the cancellation. In fact, report says, it was only the lady who was caught with the examination materials made up of exam questions both written and objective with their answers in the hall. Suddenly, there was a twist to the scenario days after.

After that paper, the news came up that the administration had discovered that about 100 slaps with writings on them, suggesting that there had been a mass copying thus instead of punishing the €˜six culprits,€™ the administration had decided to conceal that paper for them to rewrite. This attracted mass protest with threats from the students until their Head of Departments (HOD), Anthony Agyemang, managed to calm them pending further action.

The rewrite did not come without elements of vengeance by some lecturers. The vociferous students who would not keep mute on injustices in the system beared the brunt of some vindictive lecturers by marking them down.

Intriguingly the inevitable happened to amazement of the irate students. Some students who were completely failed and others awarded low marks, have had their grades raised to reflect their academic performance over the years after they had threatened to take on these lecturers. Indeed, those who had grade €˜F€™ were re-awarded grade €˜B€™. Isn€™t this astonishing?

But there is fascinating twists to this whole drama that will blow the minds of the public when it is out. The paper would like to pose the following critical questions: Who is Dominic Gyimfi? Did he win the best lecturer award last year and under what circumstances? Was it the €˜Best Lecturer€™s subject that was leaked? How did the lady get the exams materials? What is the relationship between the lady and the €˜Best Lecturer€™?

Again, how close is the Rector to the €˜Best Lecturer€™? Apart from the lady in question, do other five €˜culprits€™ really caught with materials? Did the other five €˜culprits€™ refuse to respond to any query from the Committee and why?

Finally, what has been the historical antecedent, regarding examinations malpractices in the school? If indeed, about 50 to 100 slaps were latter discovered with examinations related writings on them, is the administration saying that there was no security measures in place prior to the exams? Stay tune.