WASSCE: Stop using GES staff as external supervisors to curb exam fraud – EDUWATCH to WAEC

Education Policy Research and Advocacy Organisation Africa Education Watch (EDUWATCH), has recommended that the Ghana Education Service (GES) adopts a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) that rewards Senior High School heads based on the record of no examination fraud during the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE). EDUWATCH has also recommended that the GES sanctions staff involved in examination fraud per their code of conduct. In EDUWATCH’s 2022 WASSCE Ghana Monitoring Report, the Education Policy Research and Advocacy Organisation noted in its findings that there was “inadequate and ineffective external supervision,” during the exam. “Out of 776 supervisors deployed to 776 centres, only 18 per cent were external from WAEC with the majority (82 per cent) being staff of the Ghana Education Service (GES), a situation which raises potential conflict of interest since the WASSCE pass rate is a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for school heads and other GES directors.” However, EDUWATCH recommended that the adoption of a KPI that rewards the heads of the SHSs based on the ‘no examination fraud record’, “will checkmate the current KPI for school heads on WASSCE pass rate.” The report further recommended that: “WAEC stops using GES staff as external supervisors. The GES cannot externally self-supervise their own in an exam in which many GES invigilators, supervisors, including school heads are at the centre of exam fraud for profit.” This follows findings that there was inadequate and ineffective external supervision during the examination. It also recommended that: “The Ministry of Education must explore the possibility of providing access to market-led, pre-university distance programmes for candidates who score at least E8 in all subjects, to improve and pursue careers.” According to the Policy Research and Advocacy Organisation, “this would ensure WASSCE Candidates who do not score F9 in their core or electives are supported to upgrade.” Meanwhile, WASSCE is a ‘do or die’ affair for many parents and students in Ghana, the same report from EDUWATCH has said. The report, an outcome of monitoring the 2022 WASSCE online and 33 purposively sampled Examination centres comprising private and public schools across the country between July and September 2022, revealed: “For many parents and students, passing WASSCE is a must, as there are no immediate career progression paths to tertiary level after failure to pass WASSCE.

Education Policy Research and Advocacy Organisation Africa Education Watch (EDUWATCH), has recommended that the Ghana Education Service (GES) adopts a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) that rewards Senior High School heads based on the record of no examination fraud during the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE). EDUWATCH has also recommended that the GES sanctions staff involved in examination fraud per their code of conduct. In EDUWATCH’s 2022 WASSCE Ghana Monitoring Report, the Education Policy Research and Advocacy Organisation noted in its findings that there was “inadequate and ineffective external supervision,” during the exam. “Out of 776 supervisors deployed to 776 centres, only 18 per cent were external from WAEC with the majority (82 per cent) being staff of the Ghana Education Service (GES), a situation which raises potential conflict of interest since the WASSCE pass rate is a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for school heads and other GES directors.” However, EDUWATCH recommended that the adoption of a KPI that rewards the heads of the SHSs based on the ‘no examination fraud record’, “will checkmate the current KPI for school heads on WASSCE pass rate.” The report further recommended that: “WAEC stops using GES staff as external supervisors. The GES cannot externally self-supervise their own in an exam in which many GES invigilators, supervisors, including school heads are at the centre of exam fraud for profit.” This follows findings that there was inadequate and ineffective external supervision during the examination. It also recommended that: “The Ministry of Education must explore the possibility of providing access to market-led, pre-university distance programmes for candidates who score at least E8 in all subjects, to improve and pursue careers.” According to the Policy Research and Advocacy Organisation, “this would ensure WASSCE Candidates who do not score F9 in their core or electives are supported to upgrade.” Meanwhile, WASSCE is a ‘do or die’ affair for many parents and students in Ghana, the same report from EDUWATCH has said. The report, an outcome of monitoring the 2022 WASSCE online and 33 purposively sampled Examination centres comprising private and public schools across the country between July and September 2022, revealed: “For many parents and students, passing WASSCE is a must, as there are no immediate career progression paths to tertiary level after failure to pass WASSCE.