A second look at examination malpractices

Dear Editor

A revelation from a recent study that cheating or examination malpractices is on the rise is quite worrying.

The study which covered the periods from 2021 and 2023 showed a massive a two per cent increase from 2021 to 10 per cent in 2023.

What is even more alarming is the number of students involved in the act.

According to the report, the over 10,000 students that engaged in the act rose to close to 45,000 in 2023 and identified collusion, bringing of foreign materials and mobile phones into examination halls and impersonation as some of the common forms of malpractice.

This is a menace the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) has made a lot of noise about not just in the media but through several interactive platforms.

Years in and out, several papers from venues where those suspicions arose have had their papers cancelled and a few arrested and prosecuted. All of this is to serve as a deterrent to others.

But if the problem persists after all of these, then it means there may be something wrong somewhere that the authorities have not averred their minds to.

Much as the authorities identify ways to curb the aforementioned mode of operation, the Ghana Education Service (GES) should also intensify its supervision on the preparations of the school children for the exams.

Considering the numbers involved in the act against the overall numbers registered, they still form a minority of children who may be ill prepared for the exams.

The GES officials from its monitory department should pay unexpected visits to the schools and observe at first hand the kind of preparation the children are given.

After that, we’ll be in a better position to know what actually the problem with the children is.

Samuel Ofoli Kwei,

Asylum Down-Accra