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Following the leakage of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) papers which led to its cancellation, head of the Ghana Office of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Rev. Sam Ollennu, is receiving backlashes left, right, and centre.

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) together with the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT-G) has called for the WAEC to step down.
According to the teacher body, it is necessary for Rev. Ollennu to step aside since his continuous presence as the Council’s head would influence the investigation process.

Ernest Opoku, the National President of CCT-G said any well-meaning head of an examination body would have resigned from this the fallout, saying, “WAEC should take the blame. That is why I am saying that I don’t see why the WAEC boss should still be at post”, he told TV3 Network in an interview.

The two unions said WAEC is to blame for the leakage and are therefore calling for the dissolution of the WAEC board.
Vice President of NAGRAT, Angel Kabonu stated in an interview with Kasapa FM, a private radio station in Accra that, “the results that students churn out is a reflection of our competence or otherwise and if people are adamant to our call…because our call does not stem from only what has happened this year, we have series of historical developments that we will present to the table, if that is not done we will have to reconsider our relationship with that examination body.”

Angel Kabonu added that, the candidates should not be made to pay for the incompetence of the Council.
Founder of Ashesi University, Patrick Awuah has also agreed with the position of NAGRAT and CCT-G.
He said the leakages are occurring as a result of a weak leadership at WAEC and “that leadership must be changed” and that the situation will not change unless tough measures and decisions are taken.

“We need to get beyond announcing the leakage and cancelling papers and really get into a process of house cleaning at WAEC; they really need to clean their house because clearly, individuals within that organisation are causing these leakages” Patrick Awuah said.

A Deputy Minister of Education in charge of pre-tertiary education, Alex Kyeremeh said the news of the cancellation came as a surprise to the Ministry, hence the decision to seek an intervention from the security agencies.
Mr. Kyeremeh added that the Act of Parliament 719, 2006 prescribes the sanctions for everybody who is found cheating in examination “so the laws are clear and unambiguous; if you re found committing a crime, the law will take its own course.”

National Organizer of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams, has also added his voice to the attack on WAEC disclosing his readiness to lead a possible campaign against WAEC.
According to him, the examinations body has failed to uphold its core values and government cannot continue to pump monies into state institutions to be wasted.

“WAEC is not administering a lower exam. They’re not taking their work serious. Is not healthy for us to sit aloof and watch this happen. Technology is improving every other day and they should be ahead of technology,” he stated in the interview.

But, Education Minister, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman, has refuted claims that Ghana’s image has been dented due to the cancellation of some leaked papers in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
She added that efforts were being made to ensure that the source of the leakage was detected as soon as possible and anybody who is found culpable would be severely penalized to send out a clear signal.

The former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape-Coast said it was unfortunate that the students would have to re-write the papers but it would have been embarrassing if the leaked papers were not cancelled.
Five papers of the Examination were cancelled on Wednesday after the Council detected that they have been compromised.

A statement issued on Wednesday, June 17 listed English Language 2, Religious and Moral Education 2, Integrated Science 2, Mathematics 2 and Social Studies 2 as the compromised papers.

Meanwhile, the country’s security agencies are investigating the circumstances that led to the leakage and subsequent cancellation of some Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) papers.