STUDENTS' HOUR OF RECKONING (WED., APRIL 8, 2009)

FINAL-year students in second-cycle schools throughout the country began their transition to higher academic pursuit with the commencement of the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The future of 157,997 candidates from 577 schools depends on their performance in the WASSCE.
This is the hour of reckoning for the students to account for the investments that their parents, teachers and, indeed, society at large have made towards their responsible adulthood.
We appreciate the tension and anxiety in our students at this time of their academic endeavours but those who have dedicated themselves to their books will reap good dividends.
We do not pretend to be unaware of the challenges in our educational system, such as inadequate budgetary support, resulting in the late release of feeding grants, and the dearth of teaching and residential infrastructure, but as a developing country these challenges will be with us for some years to come.
Even under these trying conditions, some students have graduated from all levels of education with flying colours to receive higher recognition from society.
There is no shortcut to success and those who abandoned their books and engaged in unproductive activities, such as prolonged periods of leisure, cannot have a bright future ahead of them.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, cautions final-year students in our secondary schools to be wary of fraudsters who invade the schools around this time trying to con candidates into buying fake question papers.
Already the police in Accra have arrested two persons who allegedly attempted to sell fake WASSCE question papers to some students of Achimota School.
The action of the students of Achimota School in exposing the two alleged fraudsters are commendable, in view of the fact that our society hardly motivates those who place integrity above other considerations.
Collectively, we can avoid the situation where, because of the greed of a few elements in society, thousands of students are compelled to go through the pain of re-sitting an entire examination.
For this reason, the DAILY GRAPHIC calls on all stakeholders to support the appeal made by the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, to society to help to uphold the integrity of the WASSCE.
This enterprise can be a challenging one, especially in our society where those who pursue the path of virtue are ridiculed, while those who practise vice are acknowledged as successful.
We salute the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for some of the stringent measures it has adopted to protect the integrity of all public examinations. But we dare say that without the support of parents, teachers and students, unscrupulous persons will always cut corners to put honest people at a disadvantage.
The reward and punitive system must be strengthened so that those who respect regulation and do good are rewarded, while greedy characters are exposed to serve as a deterrent to others.
The DAILY GRAPHIC encourages the strengthening of the partnership among all stakeholders in education, such as students, parents, teachers and the government, to maintain integrity and vigilance over the conduct of the ongoing examination.
We appeal to the students to resist any temptation to fall prey to the activities of unscrupulous characters parading examination centres to sell question papers to them.
The solution to success lies in serious studies, not the reliance on leaked question papers.
The DAILY GRAPHIC wishes all students success in the WASSCE.