WAEC officials accused of intimidation as WASSCE candidate is stripped half-naked

A candidate writing the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at Ofori Panin Senior High School examination center has been stripped half-naked for wearing an unprescribed dress.

The incident occurred Thursday morning when the candidates were writing an English-language paper.

The student wore a white top and brown khaki shorts to the examination center which angered an official to strip him naked by removing the shorts leaving his boxer shorts on to continue the exams.

The latest incident corroborates many reports of maltreatment and intimidation of candidates at the examination center.

The candidates singled out one George Agyekum, a depot officer who according to information on Linkedin is Senior Assistant Registrar at WAEC.

He is alleged to be intimidating candidates, unleashing terror, and deliberately harassing them in order to create psychological effects on the candidates.

George Agyekum allegedly pushed and slapped a candidate over suspicion of an attempt to cheat.

Apart from armed and unarmed police personnel at the OPASS Examination Center where over 2000 candidates from two schools are writing the exams, some of the invigilators are also masked.

The masked invigilators constantly stand on the necks of candidates creating a needless dreadful aura.

However, when the WAEC official George Agyekum was approached by Journalists, he declined comment stating that he had not been authorized to speak to the press.

The conduct of WAEC officials in various examination centers in the Abuakwa North municipality in the Eastern region, in general, has created nervous apprehension among candidates.

Some parents are worried about the development.

They fear if the intimidation by WAEC officials is not stopped it may affect the performance of their wards.

A furious parent who is a polling station executive of the ruling New Patriotic Party stated under the condition of anonymity that he will draw the attention of appropriate authorities to call the WAEC officials to order before it affects the outcome of this year’s WASSCE.

He argued, that any drop in WASSCE performance this year will have political implications regarding the government’s free senior High School policy therefore candidates must have a “fair and friendly environment to write the exams without fear or intimidation but with no room for cheating”.

Last year for instance, the Municipal Chief Executive for Abuakwa North, Alhaji Umar Bodinga expressed similar concerns and called on WAEC officials to stop harassing and intimidating candidates in Abuakwa North municipality.

He said candidates must have a friendly environment to write the examination.
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