BECE candidates cautioned against exams malpractice

The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates have been advised against examination malpractices as that could mar their education.

Mr Timothy Abugri, the Upper West Regional Special Education Coordinator at the Ghana Education Service (GES) who gave the advice, said candidates who would be caught engaging in any form of examination malpractice could have their papers cancelled or prevented from writing the examination.

He was addressing some BECE candidates at a seminar organised by the Bayiila Talents Development Centre, (BATADEC), a skills development Non-governmental Organisation, in Wa at the weekend.

Mr Abugri, who had been supervising, invigilating and marking BECE for about 15 years now, identified some of the common examination malpractices to include copying, threatening to beat an invigilator or colleague candidate and going into the examination hall with foreign materials, among others.

He also admonished the candidates against impersonation during the examination, which he said could lead to prosecution as it was a criminal offence to do so.

“There are instances when people impersonate to write examination for others. Now GES is using a biometric machine to verify the candidates. So, if someone is impersonating and he or she is caught, both the one impersonating and the one being impersonated will be handed over to the police.

“WAEC is aware of all the tricks in cheating and has put systems in place to check that. The invigilators and supervisors had also been told and they are aware of that,” Mr Abugri explained.

He also touched on the rights of the candidates during examination and said every candidate had the right to sit for the examination irrespective of circumstances such as pregnancy once he or she had registered.

Mr Abugri added that the candidates had the right to report any invigilator who was doing things that he or she considers unfair or was intimidating him or her during the examination to the supervisor during or after the paper.

Mr Bayugo Bayiila Tanko John, the Founder and Executive Director of BATADEC, also advised the candidates to prepare adequately before starting the examination.

He took the candidates through some tips in preparing for the examination including, eating well and exercising regularly, having enough rest, keeping flashcards and trying sample questions.

The candidates were taken through key considerations before, during and after examination as well as the titbits in answering examination questions.

Out of 3,825 candidates who had registered for November 2021 BECE in the Wa Municipality, about 2,000 candidates from both public and private school in the municipality participated in the examination clinic organised by BATADEC.

Mr Bayugo said the organisation aims to develop the talents of children as well as helping improve their education.