WAEC not interested in protecting exams integrity – Africa Education Watch

The Executive Secretary of the Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare in criticizing a press release issued by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) has described the council as selfish.

According to him, the content of the council’s release does not show them accepting responsibility for leaked examination questions in the just ended West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Addressing the media on occurrences during the conduct of the WASSCE for school candidates yesterday, Head of the National Office of WAEC, Mrs Wendy E. Addy-Lamptey stated: “As widely reported by the Media, there was an alleged widespread leakage of questions on most of the social networks. The truth, however, is that, for each paper, there were several versions on social media but these questions were not genuine.”

Kofi Asare responding to the stance of WAEC in an interview with Happy 98.9 FM’s Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show noted that “The position of WAEC on the exam leakage is not surprising. The interest of WAEC is to protect their integrity and their jobs and not the sanctity and integrity of the examination (WASSCE). That is what WAEC is and has always behaved.”

“It is a common and weak position they have always maintained and that has always been that,” he reiterated.

The Executive Secretary of the Watch furthered that they, on several occasions, received photos of these exam leaks hours before the actual exam. “We received copies of the exam 5 hours before some of the papers. But as a public institution, we can’t put it out online as it will mean we’re spreading it.

So when we got it we shared them with the other education committees as proof of the WASSCE leaks and for a day like this when WAEC will deny leaks. You can’t trust WAEC as they always want to protect themselves.”

Kofi Asare posited that the onus lies on the government to protect the integrity of WASSCE as WAEC is just a service provider. “The WAEC is just a service provider and if their work is not being done well, then those who contracted them can terminate their contract and it is worrying the Ministry of Education has said nothing on the exam leaks.”

The advocate motioned that currently, WAEC is hiding behind technicalities as an excuse to rid themselves of the responsibility to the leaks. “They say if the questions leak between their strong room and the exams depots, then it is not a leak. They’re playing with terms and not the actual import of the issue.”

He, however, acknowledged the efforts of WAEC officials in revising the list of examiners for the WASSCE after their names and contacts were leaked on social media.

At the very start of the WASSCE, news circulating had it that the Integrated Science Paper was circulated widely on social media but the questions were later changed.

On the evening of Sunday 16th August, the purported Core Mathematics paper scheduled for Monday 17th August was seen circulating on social media with worked-out answers. Some thought they were fake but were later proven to be true as the questions circulated were contained in the very paper written on Monday.

As though the leakage of the core Mathematics paper was not worrisome enough, evidence exists pointing to leaked Chemistry and Economics papers along similar lines.