WAEC punishes 5,653 candidates

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• PRINCE KWASI ADADE 12 years ago

  AUTHOR: EBO QUANSAH---------------Dear reader, forgive me for diverting from the topic I promised yesterday. I have been compelled by Jerry Rawlings’ outburst in Nigeria about corruption, as if he himself is a saint. I am c ...
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  AUTHOR: EBO QUANSAH---------------Dear reader, forgive me for diverting from the topic I promised yesterday. I have been compelled by Jerry Rawlings’ outburst in Nigeria about corruption, as if he himself is a saint. I am compelled to do this expose on the former junta head for those who do not know his role in promoting corruption as a national concept. Read on!
  In June 1979, eight top military officers, including three former heads of state, were lined up and executed at the Teshie Military Firing range in two batches. Gen. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, Gen. Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo, Gen. Robert Kotei, Lt-Gen. Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa, Rear Admiral Joy Amedume, Air Vice-Marshall George Yaw Boakye, Emmanuel K. Utuka and Colonel Roger Felli were accused of corrupting the body politic.
  In an interview with New Nation, a monthly magazine circulating in Nigeria and now defunct, the Chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, which supervised over the most famous case of extra-judicial killings in the history of the political evolution of Ghana, justified the action of his military junta as a necessary action to rid the body politic of corruption.
  “They were jumbo-sized armed robbers whose killings left the world smelling nicer,” Flt-Lt. Rawlings was quoted by the magazine as saying in explanation.
  Jerry Rawlings said the officers had to be killed, “because Ghana was faced with their type of thievery breed of criminals who were worse than Nigeria’s armed robbers” in the 1970s.
  “Now, I’ll tell you what we have here. We have a breed that is, perhaps, worse than your armed robbers,” he told reporters of the New Nation in an exclusive interview. “They are the pen robbers. These species of vermin have for long perpetrated corruption with impunity.
  “They have not only bled the nation white, but as a result of their thievery, Ghana has suffered hunger, loss of national spirit, loss of pride and respect in the military uniform. So, as you can see, while Nigerians have perceived their main social problems to be the proliferation of six Naira armed robbers, we, in Ghana, think that our problem is that of people who take widow’s mite from a bankrupt nation.”
  In the words of the ex-junta head: “While you (Nigeria) content yourself at the Bar Beach by watching the executions of mal-adjusted labourers, mechanics or clerks, we in Ghana, have killed the jumbo armed robbers, call them generals or brigadiers – whose going to leave the world smelling sweeter.”
  One interesting thing about this claim is that Jerry Rawlings and his righteous AFRC members could not account for monies lodged in AFRC Account 48, which was specially created to lodge huge monies paid by businessmen and other persons and institutions found guilty by a so-called people court to have corrupted the system. Monies from seized goods auctioned to the public at so-called control prices were also lodged in the account.
  When President Hilla Limann took power after the AFRC had left the scene on September 24, 1979, the new Head of State complained that there was nothing in the coffers, insinuating that the famous Account 48 could not be traced.
  When Flt-Lt. Rawlings, who had refused to accept the new government’s offer to go on course abroad, was questioned on the disappearance of the huge lodgings in the account, he replied that he was not an accountant. Incidentally, the fate of PNDC Account 48, established by the second junta led by the same person, has not been accounted for as you read this piece.
  One of the most interesting developments in Ghana’s political evolution was the decision to abolish the General Certificate of Examinations -Ordinary and Advanced levels- by the Provisional National Defence Council. The main reason given was that the old educational system had favoured only the children of the elite class.
  At a time ordinary folks of the land were enrolling their children in what became known as the Junior and Senior Secondary schools, whose certificates -BECE and SCCE- were not recognised beyond the four corners of the country, Jerry Rawlings enrolled his children at the expensive Ghana International School in Accra to read subjects that qualified them to sit for the GCE Ordinary and the Advanced levels his PNDC administration had prohibited the mass of Ghanaian children from.
  I do not believe corruption is only putting state money in one’s pocket. Exploiting state resources for one’s advantage could even be a worse form of corruption. That is why I have an axe to grind with Jerry Rawlings for enrolling all his children abroad to study with the GCE Ordinary and Advanced levels, acquired outside the formal sector in the country.
  What I call Jerry’s Stupid Schools has debased education up to the tertiary level, where lottery numbers, other than real academic work, determines qualification at the first degree level.
  To add insult to injury, when asked to tell Ghanaians how he was funding the education of all the three children -Ezanator, YaaAsantewaa and Kimathi- in expensive universities in Britain and Ireland, Jerry Rawlings looked at Ghanaians in the face and answered that unknown benefactors were picking up the bills for their fees.
  The Almighty is a kind Lord. It emerged that companies the state of Ghana was dealing with and which were milking Ghana dry, were picking up the bills of Jerry Rawlings’ children. And such a person has the audacity to complain about leaders being corrupt.
  I dare state that corruption was elevated into an art under Jerry Rawlings. The circumstances under which he transformed himself from a military dictator into a civil constitutional President smells of corruption all the way to the Castle.
  After eleven and a half years of the ‘Gospel According to Jerry Rawlings,’ a period he himself identified as the ‘culture of silence’, Jerry Rawlings and those who claim to believe in him used the resources of state to convert his military oligarchy and the entire governance system into a political party. With the Electoral Commission and the entire process under his thumb, Jerry Rawlings exchanged his military garb for a description as Constitutional President of the Republic of Ghana. God Almighty should remain where he is.
  The eight year administration he led, as Constitutional President of this Republic, eulogised corruption as a state-sponsored event. State asserts were transferred to cronies under the guise of divestiture. As you read this piece, Nsawam Cannery, one of the flagship projects of the now defunct Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation, belongs to Caridem, a company floated by Mrs. Rawlings’ 31st December Women’s Movement, in a purchasing agreement that parceled the company to Caridem for a pittance.
  Under the Government of the National Democratic Congress Mark One, corruption festered on a large scale. It would take volumes to chronicle corruption under the NDC. But four prominent issues stand out. Getting to the end of the first term of office, newspapers that had been freed from the bondage of the culture of silence began chronicling evidence of corrupt deals by leading members of the regime.
  In 1996, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice investigated one matter and established massive corrupt deals against Ibrahim Adam, then Minister of Agriculture, Colonel E.M. Osei Owusu, a former Minister of the Interior, P.V. Obeng, a Presidential Staffer, and Dr. Adjei Marfo, a Chief Executive Officer of a state-run company.
  Instead of prosecuting them, the Government of Saint Rawlings rather issued a While Paper exonerating the corrupt elements, and rather indicted the media for highlighting the issue.
  In Britain, Mabey and Johnson was prosecuted not too long ago for corruptly influencing Ghanaian politicians between 1994 and 1999 to gain bridge contracts, The news in these contracts is that barely one year after completing two bridges in Ghana, including one over River Oti, the Ghana Government had to contract experts from Britain to repair them as they threatened to cave in.
  In 2002, the former Managing Director of Ghana Rubber Estates Limited, Mr. Etienne Arthur Marie Popeler, told an Accra Fast Track High Court that he gave millions of dollars to Mr. Dan Abodakpi, then Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms. Shirley Ayittey, then Treasurer of the 31st December Women’s Movement, in bribes before his French company, SIPH, could secure GREL.
  The case of Ms. Cotton, an unemployed American, secured $20 million of scarce state cash from compromised state officials, ostensibly to grow rice for Ghanaians at Aveyime in the Battor area of the Volta Region. Even when Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States had sent a warning letter about the background of Ms. Cotton, and intimating that she was incapable of undertaking the task, state officials paid the money. As it turned out, the main motivating factor was the cut they all stood to make.
  If corruption is endemic in the body politic after the so-called June 4, uprising, the genesis could be traced to Jerry Rawlings who executed eight Ghanaians officials on unproven trivial charges, and out-doored full- blown corruption as a state policy.
  In other exposé next week, I intend to draw the link between the free for all looting that assails the body politic in the Mills-Mahama regime, and the adventure of Jerry John Rawlings as Head of State of this Republic. I shall return!

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• Homesense 12 years ago

  The statistics given in this story make no meaning to me because in my view, the failure of a single child at any level of education is a threat to humanity.
  
  As a people what are our priorities in bringing up our kids? Is ...
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  The statistics given in this story make no meaning to me because in my view, the failure of a single child at any level of education is a threat to humanity.
  
  As a people what are our priorities in bringing up our kids? Is it to spend some precious years at school and be condemned to 'hell' because they could not pass some examination? Or to assist them to acquire employable skills?
  
  We need to re-examine our educational system and make it relevant to our needs, rather than condemning young people to 'hell' for failure to meet standards of bbok examinations.

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• Joojo 12 years ago

  How can they steal exams? Anyhow, cheating is always expected in exams and that is why invigilators/supervisors are employed during the conduct of any exams to prevent it from happening and not arrest cheaters. If you have ov ...
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  How can they steal exams? Anyhow, cheating is always expected in exams and that is why invigilators/supervisors are employed during the conduct of any exams to prevent it from happening and not arrest cheaters. If you have over 400,000 students taking exams where some did 2.5 years and others 4 what do you expect. The govt should be ashamed for playing politics with educations. Every change in govt necessitate a change in the number of years the students are expected to complete their programs. This is what they call educational policy- what a shame. Ghana deserves better than these criminals with no clue on how to govern.

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• kwame Atoboge 12 years ago

  Waste of money agency. it needs to be shut down.

  Waste of money agency. it needs to be shut down.

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• Keep on talking 12 years ago

  Future leaders learning curruption at tender age with the aid of so called reputable 30 headmasters, supervisors and invigilators. Oh my Ghana

  Future leaders learning curruption at tender age with the aid of so called reputable 30 headmasters, supervisors and invigilators. Oh my Ghana

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• Santa 12 years ago

  WAEC is just not fit for purpose and must be dissolved immediately.
  
  Why can't the students come together and sue them?

  WAEC is just not fit for purpose and must be dissolved immediately.
  
  Why can't the students come together and sue them?

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• Janet Brew 12 years ago

  Sue for what? You should be ashamed of yourself for making such a frivolous statement. These children nowadays commit these crimes in collaboration with their parents. Most of the parents provide the funds needed to finance t ...
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  Sue for what? You should be ashamed of yourself for making such a frivolous statement. These children nowadays commit these crimes in collaboration with their parents. Most of the parents provide the funds needed to finance their various methods of cheating. They do not want to work hard.

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• Nipany3 12 years ago

  'Sugar Daddys and Mummies who pay hansomely for time spent with them on weekend trips to funerals and other social events. Part of the blame should also be put at the doorstep of the WASSCE officials who 'hawk' exam papers to ...
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  'Sugar Daddys and Mummies who pay hansomely for time spent with them on weekend trips to funerals and other social events. Part of the blame should also be put at the doorstep of the WASSCE officials who 'hawk' exam papers to intermediaries,who turn around and sell the 'merchandise' on the open market. This situation is even worse in Naija.

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• mandela seidu from gindabour 12 years ago

  it is becouse we have poor teaching skills and learning, we must rearenge these in other to get quality education i think that will redeuce malpractice.thank u.mandela seidu

  it is becouse we have poor teaching skills and learning, we must rearenge these in other to get quality education i think that will redeuce malpractice.thank u.mandela seidu

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• Agbee 12 years ago

  WAEC must know the type of people they recruit for invigilations.some are agents for the exam malpractices.

  WAEC must know the type of people they recruit for invigilations.some are agents for the exam malpractices.

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• ONE OF YOURS 12 years ago

  WAEC MUST BE SUE AT THE LAW COURT.FLIMSY EXCUSES TO DESTROY CHILDRENS FUTURE,HOW MANY SHS GRADUATE ARE IN THE STREET NOW,WAEC JUSTIFICATION FOR THE MESS IS USELESS AND NEEDLESS.ANY PARTY IN GOV'T WHO MESS-UP WITH OUR CHILDREN ...
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  WAEC MUST BE SUE AT THE LAW COURT.FLIMSY EXCUSES TO DESTROY CHILDRENS FUTURE,HOW MANY SHS GRADUATE ARE IN THE STREET NOW,WAEC JUSTIFICATION FOR THE MESS IS USELESS AND NEEDLESS.ANY PARTY IN GOV'T WHO MESS-UP WITH OUR CHILDRENS EDUCATION WILL BE PUNISHED AT THE POLLS,.TODAY EXAM LEAKAGE,TOMORROW REWRITE PAPERS,THE THIRD DAY EXAM RESULTS CANCELLED.USING OUR OWN RESOUCES AGAINST US.GOV'T & WAEC TAKE NOTE.

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• Concerned Citizen. 12 years ago

  Please, can you give the regional survey of the Malpractices in the country?

  Please, can you give the regional survey of the Malpractices in the country?

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• 0000 12 years ago

  waec should live up to the task. things have changed dramatically

  waec should live up to the task. things have changed dramatically

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