CHEATING IN EXAMS (OCTOBER 30, 2007)

ECHOES from two important sources at the weekend painted quite a gloomy picture of the health of education in the country. A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, was quoted in yesterday’s DAILY GRAPHIC as lamenting that “the growing phenomenon of cheating in examination is fast eroding the high reputation and international recognition that the country’s educational system has enjoyed for so many years”.
In a similar vein, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) expressed concern over the poor performance of candidates of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) organised recently by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The ultimate objective of every student is to come out of any examination with flying colours. Therefore, some students sacrifice everything, including burning the proverbial midnight oil, in order to excel in examinations. Parents and school authorities also go the extra mile to adequately prepare their students for the “coup de grace”.
In the “good old days” when students from the remotest parts of the country could compete for admission to the so-called first-class secondary schools, teachers took pride in the number of pupils who passed the Common Entrance Examination for admission to secondary schools. The teachers did so without asking for monetary rewards.
It is an undeniable fact that increases in population have put pressure on the resources of the state to such an extent that the outcome of all human endeavours, including education, falls short of the desired expectations. Although many interventions have been made in the educational sector in order to address the falling standards, the performance of some of the students is appalling. Suddenly, basic schools scoring zero at the BECE is no longer news because the situation has become the rule, rather than the exception.
All interest groups, such as the government, teachers, parents and the communities, must go back to the age-old value of making sure that all children submit to strict discipline and dedicate themselves to their books. Unless steps are taken to instil in the youth the values of hard work and let them understand that shortcuts can jeopardise their future, the problem of cheating at examinations will continue to worrisome and disturbing degrees.
Prior to any examinations, WAEC, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service and the schools, embark on public education on the dangers involved in cheating. These efforts by the interests groups have not yielded the desired results. This menace will destroy all the efforts being made to improve the quality of education in the country if decisive steps are not taken to checkmate the phenomenon that has destroyed the public esteem of some schools and the future of their students.
Parents must discourage their children from getting involved in examination malpractice by encouraging them to study harder. Since examination malpractice occurs with the active connivance of examination officials, WAEC and the police should make it unattractive for people to indulge in that crime. Anyone caught cheating should be made to face the full rigours of the law, irrespective of his or her status or connection in society.
The DAILY GRAPHIC calls on the educational authorities, religious groups and parents to effect changes in the attitude of students to education so that our schools do not become places where ill-baked graduates are turned out.