Education think tank, Africa Education Watch, is pushing for the criminalization of teachers who aid their students in examination malpractices.

The comment comes on the back of the termination of the appointment of eleven teachers from the Ghana Education Service (GES) for involving in examination malpractice during the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

In an interview with Citi News, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch Kofi Asare welcomed the step taken by the service but indicated that terminating their appointment is not enough; thus criminalizing the practice would deter others from engaging in it.

“There was consensus for the need to amend WAEC’s law and criminalize examination malpractice. If this is well implemented, we will make all kinds of examination malpractice unattractive for both the teachers and students.”
Meanwhile, the Founder of the Innovative Teachers Alliance Stephen Desu, has questioned the decision by GES to terminate the appointment of these teachers.

“The GES Council has not been formed yet, so I wonder the power with which the Deputy Director of Education sacked the teachers. First, it was Teacher Kwadwo, now 11 others. The teachers ought to have been represented by lawyers at the place, but they ended up going alone, that is where the problem is.”

“Any offence for which they were sacked are mere allegations. GES has no mandate to sack them. The Council has not been constituted yet, and yet GES has assumed the power to dismiss teachers.”

GES has interdicted 11 teachers over malpractices during the 2020 WASSCE and the BECE.

The GES, in a statement, indicated that the interdiction was based on a report by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

The 11 officials have already admitted acting unprofessionally before a committee tasked to probe the alleged malpractices.

The GES suggested the temporary interdiction of the officers until the recommendation for termination of the teachers’ appointment is endorsed.

There have been reports of alleged malpractices, including leakage of question papers in the 2020 WASCCE and BECE.

Pictures of the mathematics 2020 BECE exam papers went viral on social media just a few minutes before the examination started.