The questions get to the exam halls in three ways:
i) Electronically through WhatsApp
Students are allowed to go into the exam halls with mobile phones by the compromised invigilators. Answers are then transmitted to them, or to their leaders through WhatsApp which are passed on to all students.
ii) Manual Transmission
The answers are written on pieces of paper and handed over to the Assistant Headmaster (Supervisor) who then goes round from room to room distributing them to students through their invigilators. In some instances, the compromised police officer on duty is the conduit. He goes to the exam halls to distribute the answers directly to students while invigilators turn their eyes away and pretend to see nothing going on.
Objective question answers are faster distributed than essay answers. In the case of essay type questions, two to three varieties are worked out with slight modifications in wording and layouts. The answers are then photocopied and sent to students in the exam rooms. In some instances, subject teachers enter the rooms to dictate the answers to students with some even asking the teacher to spell out the dictated answers to them.
iii) Smuggling
In schools where Invigilators refuse to be compromised by the Heads or their Assistants, answers are left in washrooms or urinals for students to go for. These answers are hidden by students in their panties, brassieres and shoes/socks and smuggled into the exam halls.
3) Political Inertia
Our team is in no doubt that the authorities are aware of this fraud being perpetuated on our education system. However, the monetization of the system, coupled with the politics in which the free SHS has unfortunately been embedded, are causing those who have the power to look away or feet drag on the issue. The refusal by the MoE, GES and the political establishment, to accept that there are challenges with the free SHS policy and its implementation that need to be addressed, is a major hindrance to tackling this menace. Furthermore, the posturing of the above authorities and WAEC by always brushing aside any leakage further aggravates the problem. Teachers and Headmasters are emboldened and protected by the fertile political climate to engage in this fraudulent behaviour. Teachers who don’t condone are branded anti free SHS and anti government. To push the agenda further, the MoE summoned Heads of School to a meeting with their Regional Directors a few weeks to the commencement of the 2021 WASSCE. They were compelled to pledge percentage passes they hoped their schools would obtain in the exams. Back to their schools, Heads relayed these pledges to their staff and solicited their support in redeeming the pledges. All hands are now on deck to achieve the results expected by the Education authorities. Heads who would fail to achieve their targets, they were warned, would be replaced. So Heads are working to maintain their jobs.
As long as the results are good to prove a case for the supposed success of the free SHS policy no matter how fraudulent the processes are, authorities will continue to cocoon themselves in a state of inertia and refuse to address the issue. It appears as though that as long as the fraudulent system serves a political purpose, it needs not be tackled.
- The Looming Danger
The success of any education system is not measured in the number of good grades churned through a compromised examination process. The success should be anchored on the conducive academic environment provided for effective teaching, learning and supervision that provide excellent outcomes. Should this craze for good grades through fraudulent means continue, huge collateral damage will be done to our education system.
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