Examinations body, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has threatened to file a law suit against policy think tank, Africa Education Watch over their recent report which revealed widespread malpractices, violence and chaos on the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The report noted that these malpractices are only symptoms of system deficiencies that have been either overlooked or swept under the carpet for many years.
It added the credibility of WAEC’s examination systems is important in determining/defining the quality of Ghana’s education system.
The adoption and observance of international assessment standards is critical to sustaining WAEC’s and the WASSCE’s credibility.
However, acts like leakage of markers contact details and questions have strong potential to reduce the credibility of WAEC’s assessment systems and standards, and by extension, the credibility and recognition of the WASSCE certificate.
The absence of a Regulator of Assessments that ensures WAEC’s compliance to international standards creates a vacuum in institutional accountability and the observance of quality assurance in assessment standards.
The malpractices, violence and chaos that characterized the 2020 WASSCE examinations are only symptoms of system deficiencies that have been either overlooked or swept under the carpet for many years.
Anything short of a holistic reform of our assessment system only provides maximum assurance of the recurrence of similar if not worse malpractices in 2021 and beyond.
But Head of the Legal Department at WAEC, Rev. Victor Brew, said at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday June 22 that among the options available to WAEC in response to this report, including legal action against Africa Education Watch.
“All options are on the table including a legal suit. These are things that management has to first strategise on. Don’t be surprised if you hear of it in the coming days. But I can’t tell the actual date this will happen”, he said.
Source: 3news
