Sack WAEC Boss – NAGRAT

• Posted on June 19, 2015June 19, 2015
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has called for the resignation of the Very Rev. Sam Nii Nmai Ollennu, Head of the Ghana National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), following the leakage and subsequent cancellation of some Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) papers.

The association also suggested the dissolution of the entire WAEC Board.

Ghanaians were on Wednesday hit with disturbing news of a massive leakage of five of the ongoing BECE subject papers, and WAEC immediately took responsibility for the lapse and announced the cancellation of the affected subjects which would have to be re-written by the students.

The canceled papers were: English Language 2, Religious and Moral Education 2, Integrated Science 2, Mathematics 2 and Social Studies 2.

WAEC’s Admission

Deputy Director of Public Affairs of WAEC, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, admitted in a statement that it was ‘dismayed’ and ‘disappointed’ that the papers had been compromised and explained that it had to cancel them (papers) in order to protect the integrity of the examination.

The council is presently being investigated by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).

Source Of Leakage

In the ensuing confusion, NAGRAT is blaming WAEC for the leakage and insists it is necessary for Rev. Ollennu to step aside because his continuous presence as the Council’s head would influence the investigation process.

At a news conference in Accra yesterday, Angel Kabonu, vice-president of NAGRAT said, “When papers leak and the questions are on the internet, WhatsApp, and students could email them, then we will have to ask ourselves the question, ‘Where is it coming from?’ Definitely it is coming from WAEC”.

In NAGRAT’s view, WAEC let down Ghanaian teachers and students by failing to “bring WAEC up to speed with 21st century virtual securities.”

The association underscored, “We need to get beyond announcing the leakage and cancelling papers and really get into a process of house cleaning at WAEC; they really need to clean their house because clearly, individuals within that organisation are causing these leakages.”

Untouchable Bully

According to NAGRAT, “WAEC is able to afford these unpardonable inefficiencies because of the monopoly it enjoys.”

“It is clear that whether their services are good or not and whether we like them or not, they are the only ones we have. WAEC has become an untouchable bully that pushes bad services down our throat while no one dares question them.”

NAGRAT admitted that “Some pupils, students, teachers and indeed anybody could be culpable for leakages,” but added that it is certain that “most of the leakages take their source from WAEC itself.”

Rippling Effect

“…our call does not stem from only what has happened this year, we have a series of historical developments that we will present to the table; if that is not done we will have to reconsider our relationship with that examination body, NAGRAT recalled.

By William Yaw Owusu