Three Teachers In Bongo District To Face Disciplinary Action Over Exams Malpractice

Three teachers in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region, will soon be dragged before the District Education Directorate for helping students engage in examinations malpractices in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examinations.

The teachers, some from the Balungu-Nabisi Junior High School, whose names have been withheld for security reasons, gave mobile phones and other irrelevant materials to the candidates in the exams' hall.

The Upper East Regional Director of Education, Mrs. Jane Sabina Obeng, disclosed this to Peace news in Bolgatanga.

Mrs. Obeng said the condoning of exams malpractices by teachers in the ongoing BECE was a dent on the image of the Ghana Education Service, pointing out unequivocally that the laws of the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, frowned on exams malpractices and other irregularities.

She, thus, warned the invigilators and teachers to eschew assisting students cheat in the examinations, adding teachers who insisted abetting exams malpractices would be punished accordingly.

"In my rounds, I have heard that some teachers wanted to help the students(BECE candidates) in one of the centres in the Bongo District.They assisted them send mobile phones into the exams' hall. Upon hearing this, I called the District Director(Duncan Nsoh) to intervene.

"We managed to get three teachers, who attempted helping the students to engage in exams malpractices, and they will soon be brought before the Disciplinary committee", said Mrs. Obeng.

The Regional Director described the conduct of students sitting this year's BECE as 'very good', stressing she was optimistic the mass cancellations which had been affecting many schools in the region would be reduced drastically.

She, therefore, urged teachers in the various basic schools to endeavour to prepare their students very well to confront the exams, chastising teachers who led students to exams centres ill-prepared.

On the phenomenon of female students who are carrying pregnancies while sitting the exams, Mrs. Obeng, said the region had not recorded many 'pregnancies' in this year's BECE.

She attributed the reduction of pregnancies among girls in the exams to extensive education being embarked by GES, Non-Governmental Organisations in education, Civil Society Organizations, and a host of others.

A total of 19, 871 students, comprising 10, 050 girls and 9, 821 boys are sitting this year's BECE in the region.