Editorial
Why do we have these exam leakages?
It is known that organised human activities are not perfect and for this reason many of the activities instituted on this earth tend to have certain problems but when it comes to exam leakages, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) cannot hide under human imperfection because examinations relate to the future of students and so ought to be organised in a leakage-free environment.
Exam leakages may come from several causes but it usually comes from within WAEC itself for which reason officers of WAEC would have to be investigated thoroughly.
The effects of these exam leakages are unpleasant because they contribute to loss of confidence in the certificates issued by WAEC to successful candidates.
Apart from this, leakages mean that the examinations will have to be organised again for the students to ensure fairness. This creates mental torture for the students but nothing is usually done to compensate them.
It is, therefore, important for WAEC officials to know that their work is very important since it involves the training of human resource in Ghana. The training of the young ones is evaluated through final examinations conducted by WAEC.
If, therefore, the security of the examinations cannot be guaranteed, then the officials at WAEC have no justification to continue to remain at post.
The Ministry of Education and other stakeholders in Ghana and West Africa must put their heads together and collaborate with WAEC to fight against exam leakages in the sub-region. This is what is needed to bring decency into the system.
Many a time, when leakages of certain papers occur, WAEC officials come out to say that they are investigating the matter after which they will deal with the culprits.
This constant excuse is no longer acceptable. The reason for this is that the examination questions are set by WAEC itself so if there are any leakages, it is that examination body that must be blamed.
The Spectator holds the opinion that, the time has come for everyone to take the issue of leakage as a serious matter and deal with it once and for all, so that this negative practice can no longer be attractive to examination criminals in the country and other parts of the sub-region.
Additionally, we think it is crucial for the examination body to consider electronic means of assessing candidates. This can be thoroughly examined by experts, so that permanent solution can be found to this issue.
We need to save ourselves from exam leakages because it is a big shame and disgrace to the examination body while causing embarrassment to other stakeholders.
This practice must stop immediately.
Dear Editor,
I write to appeal to the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL) to put some of their buses on the Kasoa–Circle route to ease the challenges passengers face every day.
It might interest you to know that going to and from Kasoa is no child’s play. Sadly, it appears we have been left to our fate and at the mercy of greedy ‘trotro’ drivers who employ various tactics to extort money from passengers.
One of the means they usually employ is that at the station, they’ll tell passengers they are not going to Kasoa. However, when you join these vehicles, they take passengers to a point and start calling for new passengers to a different destination. It continues like that until they reach Kasoa. At all the new stops, they collect fresh fares from passengers.
So, it is not true that they are not going to Kasoa — the only reason they do that is to take more money from passengers.
By this behaviour, one ends up spending about GH¢20 for a journey that should cost around GH¢11, and the same amount on the return trip.
This behaviour also results in long queues at the stations at night, giving robbers and pickpockets a field day as they mingle with passengers struggling for transport and end up stealing from them.
I want to plead with the Metro Mass management to put buses on this route to reduce the inconvenience we go through after a day’s work.
The management could also devise ways to make their operations more convenient and reliable, and must consider setting specific times so that passengers would know when buses arrive and when they depart.
Kwesi Pino
Kasoa
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Dear Editor,
I write with deep concern about a safety hazard and the dangers commuters are exposed to, especially those who walk in the area at night.
Along one of the busy roads in the capital — the Neoplan Station stretch of the ‘Accra Dubai’ road — lie several culverts with their metal coverings removed, leaving behind gaping holes that endanger everyone who uses the stretch.
It is a danger to commuters who walk around the area. As a regular visitor to that area, I find it very disturbing. In fact, a gaze into the drain can make one feel dizzy — it is very deep.
These are very common sights from the Railway Crossing area to the Awudome Cemetery area, bringing to the fore the activities of scrap dealers who are mostly blamed for the disappearance of the coverings.
They are dangerous and easy to miss. Children walking to school, the elderly, and even motorists risk serious injury if nothing is done.
This is not just a matter of inconvenience; it is a matter of life. We have seen too many cases where a simple oversight leads to irreversible harm.
A child could fall in. A motorcyclist could swerve and crash. A pedestrian could be injured in the dark. These are preventable tragedies, and we must treat them as urgent.
We cannot wait for disaster before we act. I urge the relevant authorities to inspect such areas, replace missing covers, and prioritise public safety. A simple fix today could save a life tomorrow. Let’s not look away — let’s fix what’s broken before it breaks someone.
Kelvin Acheampong
Dansoman
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