Teachers before court

Accra, May 8, GNA - Three teachers who were arrested in connection with the leakage of this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) Mathematics Paper 2 at Fadama in Accra on Friday pleaded not guilty to charges preferred against them. The three, Wisdom Kokroko, a retired teacher, Bukari Musah and Donabel Gabada, teachers of King and Queens International School, Abeka Lapaz in Accra are being held on various charges of illegal possession, knowledge or use of examination questions and leakage of examination papers.

The court, presided over by Mr. D.E.K. Daketsey however, admitted them to bail in the sum of GH¢ 5,000 each with two sureties each to reappear on May 21 for hearing. Seeking for bail, Mr William Antonio said his clients had denied the charge and the onus lied on the prosecution to prove their guilt. Mr Antonio said the examination period was over and they would not be allowed to invigilate any WAEC exams, adding that, they would not commit any of the alleged offence.

According to him the accused would at all times appear to stand trial. Chief Inspector J.K. Anim, the prosecutor, told the court that, on April 23, this year, WAEC had information that some question papers had been tampered with at the Cluster of Schools at Fadama. The prosecution said Mr Frederick Selby, Director of Legal Services of West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), went to the Supervisor of the cluster of schools and demanded the sealed question papers. However, he found that the Mathematics Paper 2 had been opened before the commencement of the exam. The prosecution said when the question papers were counted it was revealed that three out of the 50 question papers were missing. The prosecution said Mr Selby saw Gabada teaching the candidates of Queens and Kings School with a photocopy of the Mathematics Paper 2 which the candidates were to write in the afternoon. When Mr Selby asked Gabada where he got the questions from, he mentioned Musah as the one who gave them to him. 8 May 09