Fresh Article

 The Blame Game or The Reforms We need.

On the 17^th of June 2015, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) informed the public of some of its Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) papers being compromised and virally leaked through social media. The general mood in Ghana expressed by the students affected was dismay and an increasing lack of confidence in the structural educational institutions in Ghana.
What confidence does the normal Ghanaian have in the authenticity of educational institutions in our country? If workers in these same institutions compromise their very own integrity which undermines in a long way results of examination and other publicized information about their institution. Cancelling papers anytime a leakage is identified will only solve the problem temporarily, but searching and finding the root course of the problem which has to do with certain working personnel who actually compromise the examination papers is a better way of tackling the problem.
Anti- corruption campaigner Sydney Casely- Hayford rightfully put it in this manner on Citi Fm News( A radio station in Accra Ghana) “the blame for the leaks lies was with WAEC and that it was time for the Examination Council to undergo drastic changes to prevent similar occurrences in the future. It is a WAEC problem. WAEC has the questions, WAEC has the answers. WAEC has the results. Even the computerized system that was supposed to be used in balloting or placing junior high school graduates into senior high schools has been compromised as well.”
This has not been the first cancellation of papers in Ghana. In 2009 and 2013 WASSCE papers were compromised and thereafter cancelled by the West African Examination Council. Ghana therefore needs reforms rather than playing the blame Game always that leads to little of no work being done by the authorities.
The educational sector is by far one of the most integral and a vital constituent of the development of a nation. When we fail to pragmatically see the issue for what is a ‘total shame’ which shows our lack of prioritization to our educational sector, our nation might just start to place emphasis where it’s due.
Education is surely our Way Forward and every citizen has a right to play in making it so.
                                                                           
                                                                     Nana Owusu Baffour-Kwakye
                                                                     University of Energy and Natural Resources
                                                                     Writer and Student
                                                                     23/06/15