Executive Director of the Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Mr Kofi Asare observed on his official Facebook account on December 18, 2023, that the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results look good.
He added that this year’s results, especially with the core subjects, English, science, Mathematics, and Social Studies, have been the best core subject results since the free senior high school program started in 2017.
The question one ought to ask however is that – does the statistics as analysed by Kofi Asare correlate with the quality of senior high school education in the country?
I do not dispute the fact that there are several hardworking parents who have invested a lot into the education of their wards. Likewise there are several students who outworked themselves, and went the extra mile to study to attain remarkable results in the 2023 WASSCE. I salute the efforts of these ones and I pray the Lord help them in their future endeavours. I am however saddened by the way stakeholders of education in Ghana have schemed to create a statistics that shows a picture of a seemingly improving output of senior high school education especially – with respect to students performance in WASSCE – while the true standard of senior high school education in the country is not reflective of this outcome. For more than a decade now, the standard is diminishing year after year. Instead of quality, quantity has been the prize in recent years.
Please do not be quick to criticise this write-up. I am not an enemy to the nation’s progress. I have been with the Ghana Education Service for 12 years, and I am sharing information about a system that I have fought through all ranks till I resigned.
This oak tree of syndicate WASSCE malpractices exam gained roots over a decade ago – it was started by heads of some less endowed schools. These schools admitted private candidates to their final year class, levied them huge sums of monies to cover tuition, registration and assistance during examination – and would help them to pass the exams by grouping teachers and invigilators to supply answers and solutions to candidates at the exam halls. Yeah, obviously, greed has always been the catalyst to catapult this dishonourable act from one level to the next level.
Between 2012 and 2016, heads of some senior high schools upon realising that their colleagues were making huge sums of money through this syndicate exam malpractices also started grouping and putting up structures to do same in their schools in order to make money.
It gained momentum and general acceptance in most schools and within the Ghana Education Service institutional fraternity – such that a teacher who begins to fight the system, confronts his colleagues, and speak against supplying solutions to candidates in the exam hall, is seen as the bad one, and victimised. I feel so sorry for the nation that it has gotten to a time where very good, dedicated and committed teachers are not appreciated. They are constantly troubled. Heads of schools do not only put premium on teachers who would accept to be part of the ‘examination malpractice cartel’ – but they also incite students against the interest of hardworking teachers who do not take part in the examination malpractices.
It is unfortunate to share with you that a teacher who is habitually absent from school and do not attend his lessons and periods, but would be available to solve questions for candidates during WASSCE is the one most appreciated by the headmaster and management.
Some teachers, including myself, have suffered a lot because of this kind of victimisation. Heads of schools could just ask Regional Education Officers who also condone to these malpractices to transfer a teacher from one district to another, sometimes several kilometres away just to frustrate him or her. The last episode this happened to me, the amount of money I spent in a month to commute from my place of residence to the school I was transferred to, outweighed my salary. I had to get funds to support my salary all the time in order to be able to report for school. I got a direction, and I had to look elsewhere to add value to myself, so I resigned honourably.
‘WASSCE malpractices’ has heightened in the last 5 years since the introduction of the Free Senior High School Policy. Power brokers in the country including financiers of the ruling party; members of government; key stakeholders of the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education, do whatever they could, in the name of Free Senior High School Policy, to indirectly bully headmasters of Senior High Schools for these heads to ensure that their respective schools attain a certain level of output with respect to the WASSCE results.
And the demands and expectations required from these heads ought to be met, whether or not their candidates are deserving of those grades or not. The only way for these helpless heads to get this done is to organise teachers who have expertise in various subjects, extort monies from students, and supply answers to students in the examination hall.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) reported that it has withheld the subject results of candidates from 235 schools who sat for the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), due to the use of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in generating answers.
This was contained in a press release dated December 18, 2023 and signed by the Head of Public Relations, John K. Kapi. They added that: “The withheld results of these candidates may be released or cancelled depending on the outcome of investigations”. Meanwhile, the Subject Results of 3,647 candidates have been cancelled.
There is no element of doubt that this is just a fraction of the the unlucky schools and candidates who could not engage in the malpractices in an intelligent manner to outwit the WAEC system, and they have been caught and sanctions made against threm. Several others who ought to have faced similar and or severe sanctions have escaped the whip for reasons probably in the interest of the common goal of the ‘stakeholders and syndicate’.
My greatest concern is not about the excellent pass rate that politicians are celebrating in the 2023 WASSCE results, but the quality and substance these candidates would offer the nation, Ghana in the years to come.
The education mechanism seems to educate students more on corruption and dishonesty than honesty; it seems to appraise laziness, bribery and corruption more than hardwork, patriotism and commitment to Ghana. Where are we heading to as a nation? What actually are our priorities? What standards are we giving and setting for these candidates who would be the future leaders to govern, when we are arrested by age in our olden days?
The Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS) has a duty to ensure the growth and development of the nation – because they are directly involved in raising these students who would be future leaders of our country, Ghana, and there is the need build them to be honourable trustees of our nation.
Today, I want to ask the shameless members of CHASS who are indulging in WASSCE malpractices: can you count on the nurse in the ward for a good service?; can you count on the surgeon in the theatre for a professional service when you are struck in your old age?; can you count on the police to offer you selfless security in your old age?; can you count on the knowledge of the teacher who would teach and impact knowledge on your children and grandchildren when you retire?; would you be sure that cama would not ambush you with equal reaction of the corruption and monies you have extorted and levied these young ones?; are you not convicted by your conscience that you did not do the right investment for Ghana?
The greatest question each one of us is to ask himself or herself is that – would our creator be happy with our contribution to the development and the healing of the nation when we finally pass on? The Lord is watching us all.
Ghana is the Lord’s own and He, the invincible God shall save the nation, and make it great and strong in Jesus’ name.
May the Lord continue to have mercy on this nation.
God bless, my homeland, Ghana.
The article is an opinion by Samoa Mensa, [email protected] | You can submit your opinion pieces to [email protected].