WAEC Cancels 386 Students' Entries

... Citing Forged Continuous Assessment Scores
Following the cancellation of their entries for the May/June 2008 Senior Secondary School Certificate exams by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) the fate of 386 final year students of the African Advanced College of Commerce and Technology at Ashaiman is currently unknown.

The affected students started taking the exams along with other candidates nationwide and succeeded in writing about four different papers when WAEC announced the cancellation of the entries and ordered them to discontinue the exams, citing irregularities with their continuous assessment scores.

WAEC, in a letter dated April 23, 2008 and addressed to the Headmaster of African Advanced College, alleged that the candidates' continuous assessment scores were forged.

The letter which was signed by Mr. M. Frempong, Head of WAEC's Ghana National Office, stated among others that the affected candidates could be advised to write the November/December series of the examination "where continuous assessment scores are not needed".

The Headmaster of African Advanced College of Commerce and Technology, Mr. A.K. Agobo, when contacted, confirmed the story and said the school is taking immediate steps to appeal against WAEC's decision.

He said the school authorities have met with parents of the affected candidates to see how best to make WAEC soften its stance on the candidates.

Mr. Agobo said he was not happy with now WAEC had to wait till the candidates began with the exams before making such a claim. "There are occasions on which WAEC threatens it would not accept entries for registration of candidates based on this or that anomaly and when this happens we take immediate steps to correct the anomaly. I am confused why WAEC after registering these students and seeing them begin the exams, would now turn around to make such a claim" he explained.

He said though the school authorities and parents are not happy with the WAEC decision, "we cannot fight them but rather plead with them to soften their stance for the sake of the future of these innocent candidates".

Mr. Agobo told ADM that the sanctions were too harsh for the students who had done no wrong and expressed the hope that WAEC would reconsider its decision.