We’ll name and shame cheating schools – WAEC

The West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) has served notice that it will “name and shame” schools found to have engaged in examination malpractices in this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The council announced in a statement Wednesday July 19, 2017 that it has withheld the entire results of candidates from 185 “pending conclusion of investigations into malpractices detected during and after the examinations.”

“Results of candidates from 31 out of the 185 schools were detected with the Item Differentia profile (IDP) software, which showed cheating in the objective tests,” stated Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, Head of Public Affairs at WAEC in the statement.

“The withheld results of candidates will be cancelled if found culpable or released if otherwise,” the statement added.

Shedding more light on the development Thursday July 20, 2017 on Morning Starr, she noted that one of the most prevalent examination practices the council found is massive collusion in schools and “so that tells us that supervisors and invigilators look on unconcerned or even connive with the candidates” to cheat.

In order to curb the scourge from further worsening, the council has therefore resolved to “name and shame” the schools found culpable.

“The schools are so many. We are going to name and shame where we know that we are putting all the schools out there in the open,” she told Morning Starr host Francis Abban after the completion of the council’s investigations into the menace.

“That’s what we intend to do this time round,” she declared. Also commenting on the development was former General Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Felix Essah-Hienno who urged “seriousness” in dealing with the scourge, saying “schools that cheat in exams must be dealt with.”

“Some schools will do everything possible to appear at the top of the league table. Year on year, we mention some schools cheated in the exams, but what happens to such schools?” he queried while speaking on Morning Starr Thursday July 20, 2017.