Cancellation of WASSCE Results: Parents blame invigilators

Some parents in Accra have expressed concern about the yearly cancellation of results of the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and attributed the phenomenon to the negligence of invigilators.

This comes after WAEC on December 8, 2021, released the provisional results for this year, with 174 entire results of candidates who sat for the examinations cancelled.

The results were cancelled for examination malpractices, including the sending of mobile phones to the examination hall, tearing off parts of question papers and collusion.

Madam Sarah Amoabeng, a parent, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said examination malpractices kept coming up yearly because invigilators failed to do thorough search on the candidates before allowing them into the examination halls.

‘‘We all know they search the children before they enter the examination halls, so how do they sneak these foreign materials in the examination halls for them to be caught later,’’ she asked?

Madam Amoabeng, said it was disheartening for parents to know their children’s results had been cancelled because it meant extra cost in preparing them for re-sit of the examinations.

She said apart from the cost, ‘‘…Some of the children may not be mentally fit for the exams,’’ and appealed to the invigilators and examination officials to do due diligence in the discharge of their responsibilities to minimise and completely stop examination malpractices.

Kwabena Yeboah, a Mechanic and father of four, alleged thst some invigilators aided some candidates to cheat and must be held responsible.

Charles Mensah, another parent, said the only way to stop examination malpractices was to tighten invigilation.

Some students, who sat for this year’s WASSCE, said they were happy with the provisional results released.

Some Visual Arts students said they had difficulties with the core subjects but were satisfied with their electives.

Meanwhile, a press release issued and signed by Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, Head of Public Relations of WAEC, said the cancellation of the results were approved by the 31st meeting of the Ghana Examinations Committee, held in October this year.
It said a total of 3, 667 results were withheld pending the conclusion of investigations into various cases of malpractices during and after the examination.

Last year, 2020, a total of 2,283 candidates’ results were cancelled for flouting the examination’s regulations by taking foreign materials to the examination halls, and some 384 candidates’ results were withheld for investigations.