Head of West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC), Rev. Samuel Nii Nmai Ollenu has kicked against the proposal by the Minister of Education nominee to create a rival examination body for the country if the need arises.
Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh at his vetting few days ago said there is a possibility of setting a rival body to conduct examinations in Ghanaian schools.
The change according to him would address challenges with the conduct of examinations.
However, Rev. Samuel Nii Nmai Ollenu in an interview with CITI FM news revealed that they as an examining body has tried in various ways to work at this, but talking from the point of view in respect to an educational background, setting up a rivalry body is not recommendable to solve educational problems because when that happens it will make the examination malpractice issues a complex one and then also lower the educational standards in the country.
“We have a number of private universities in the country and had it not been for the presence of National Accreditation Board standards at that level would have fallen so much.
"Currently, we have been interacting with other exams bodies and there is one in the UK that I don’t want to mention and in Nigeria when they heard about the news lamented saying what Ghana has and they are envious off is now what we want to destroy to make our standards fall,” he said.
He continued “So as educational measurement professionals we will recommend that Ghana does not go that way, since exams council provides social service. It is actually not a commercial entity, so the best is to assist exams council to produce its best and not setting up a rivalry institution.”
Referring to Critics who say WEAC wants to monopolize the trend of examination in this country, Mr. Ollenu indicated that they are wrong to say so because on the educational board government has a strong representation, that the Chairman of the board is the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education is also on the board meaning we don’t regulate everything we do.
His advice to the state Is that “If government wants the exams council to perform at a certain level it can easily be done and we think that the best way to go by this is not to establish a rivalry body but rather support the exams council to provide the best services that the nation requires.”
WAEC has constantly faced criticism for exam leakages in the country. The West African Examination Council (WAEC) was established 1952 after the Governments of Ghana (then Gold Coast), Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia enacted the West African Examinations Council Ordinances in 1951.
Liberia became the fifth member of the Council in 1974. The enactment of the Ordinances was based on the Jeffrey Report, which strongly supported the proposal for the setting up of a regional examining board to harmonize and standardize pre-university assessment procedures in the then British West Africa.
Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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OHH Rev, you guys have already lowered the standard of education ooooo. Look at how the students are suffering. Accept the change wae. I know it hurts but kafra
WHY ARE YOU AFRAID OF COMPETITION? AND I ASK, IN YOUR TIME OF SCHOOLING DO YOU HAVE THESE KIND OF MALPRACTICE AND REMEDIAL CLASSES SO MUCH. NOW TAKE REMEDIAL CLASSES AND COMPARED TO ESTABLISHMENT OF CHURCHES AND BLUE KIOSK AND YOU WILL SEE NO DIFFERENT WHY
MR. MINISTER YOU ARE WELCOME WITH YOUR CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. THE SAME EXAMINERS ARE THE SAME REMEDIAL CLASSES OWNERS. GOD IS WATCHING.
I agree with bringing a competitor 100%. competition produces quality. you cannot Just monopolize examination and do what you want. you set an exams question spending so much and you later cancel them because of exams leakages. want of money. are you not incompetent
COMMON SENSE TELLS ALL OF US THAT COMPETITION BRINGS ABOUT QUALITY. I AM SURPRISED THE HEAD OF WAEC IS SAYING OTHERWISE. GHANA REALLY NEEDS ADDITIONAL BODIES TO REGULATE OUR EXAMINATIONS. NOT A YEAR PASSES WITHOUT RECORDING MALPRACTICES IN OUR EXAMS AND THE UNFORTUNATE ASPECT IS THAT STUDENTS ALWAYS SUFFER WITHOUT HEARING HEADS ROLLING AT WAEC. LET US NOT SETTLE ON MEDIOCRITY .... MY TAKE.
I think it would be better. Bringing in a body like City and guilds would help. Good proposal.
HAHAHAHAHAHA, YOU ARE NOW SCARED OF JUST A LITTLE COMPETITION. N A N 1 A M A, ALL THOSE LEAKAGES WILL BE CURBED AND SANITY BROUGHT ON BOARD.
HAHAHAHAHAHA, YOU ARE NOW SCARED OF JUST A LITTLE COMPETITION. ***barred word***, ALL THOSE LEAKAGES WILL BE CURBED AND SANITY BROUGHT ON BOARD.
we have SAT or ACT in USA but that has not changed anything. this when there is a competition it will help solve exams leakages, and best test questions. in all help set good questions too. universities will then decide which of the two is better and the best cut offs for all, base of their performances.