When the ongoing WASSCE commenced, we were hopeful that this time, there would be no scandals. Our stance was hinged upon the fact that previous scandals attracted enough sanctions and scathing commentaries. We appear to have got it all wrong. The adult cheats and the kids they carry along are still at it unfortunately.
One of the stories in this issue is about the WAEC warning that they have spotted examination syndicates actively impugning the integrity of the ongoing WASSCE.
The bottom line is that some irregularities have been spotted and there is the likelihood of sanctions being applied on some defaulting schools and even individuals.
It is sad and heartbreaking that after so many sermons about the negativities of examination malpractices, the anomaly persists, with the actors being persons who should have been ensuring the sanctity of the process.
In our commentary, when the examinations began, we did state that those who engage in such anomalies are doing great disservice to society.
We wish to restate that such persons are causing ethical damage to our image as a nation. WAEC, as a regional examinations body, has a reputation to guard and so do we, as a corporate entity, a country called Ghana. When therefore, examination malpractices are being perpetuated by a syndicate and on the verge of even becoming an industry, we must all gird our loins to fight the common adversary.
More worrying is the fact that some school authorities are condoning the use of unauthorised gadgets to facilitate examination thievery.
Have such school authorities abandoned their primary role of molding our future leaders?
Those who encourage and even take part in such anomalies are neither fit to run schools nor being entrusted with the task of educating children. What leaders are we bringing up, who are being taught to cheat in examination halls?
We have learnt about how the adult miscreants want their schools to be recognised as the best in terms of examination results hence their resort to such criminal tendencies. Others, on the hand, do so for the cash they expect to realise from the dirty venture.
Our examination integrity is being compromised by the annual ritual of examination hall anomalies.
Unfortunately, little is said about such anomalies as we prefer thievery committed on the political space to that.
We consider examination hall anomalies as equally serious and deserve as much condemnation as the others.
We trust the WAEC to crack the whip whenever it is necessary to do so and expect that thorough and transparent investigation would be carried out on the ongoing examination to ensure that the minutest instance of cheating is dealt with and decisively so.