Rescheduled examinations to be written next week

Accra, Aug. 4, GNA - The West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) on Wednesday announced new dates for the re-writing of four Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) papers, which were rescheduled.

The Council said French '1' and '2' would now be written on Wednesday August 11; while Business Mathematics; Principles of Costing '2'; Literature in English '2' and Physics '1' would be written on Thursday August 12, 2004.

The Reverend John Anan Adotey, Head of WAEC National Office, who announced this at a press conference in Accra, apologised to candidates, parents and the entire nation for any inconvenience caused. Rev. Adotey said the leakage arose when a WAEC official, Ms Beatrice Corsah, who was manning the Council Depot at Axim, collapsed while on duty and had to be detained at the Axim Hospital on July 22.

He said when Ms Corsah fell sick, it was not reported to the Council and Officials from the Ghana Education Service (GES), therefore, manned the Axim Depot.

He said WAEC's attention was drawn to the state of affairs at the Axim Depot on Tuesday 27 and immediately, an officer from Accra was sent to take over Ms Corssah's schedule.

Rev. Adotey said when a team was sent to the Depot for inspection, they discovered that two security bags containing the examination papers had been tampered with.

"The bags had been cut and hand sewn whilst the plastic envelope containing the question papers had been cut and glued." "If this crime is not a crime against the nation what else could that be?" He asked.

Rev. Adotey said the two GES officials have been invited by the Police to assist in investigations while the Acting Director General had also requested a full report on the incident.

"We have also reported the Police personnel on duty to the Ghana Police Service for the necessary action to be taken."

On the distribution of the question papers, Rev Adotey explained that the Council had created fortified rooms designated as Depots all over the country for the custody of the question papers.

Rev Adotey said officials from WAEC, Senior GES personnel, manned these Depots and each depot was under 24-hour Police guard.

"Each Depot is secured by two locks. The GES personnel keeps one while the WAEC official keeps the other. By this arrangement, it requires the two officers to be present any time the Depots are opened and questions are given out or worked scripts are received."

He advised the media to assist and confirm with the Council whenever there was any leakage because of the negative impact such reports could have on the integrity of WAEC certificate internationally. Rev Adotey said WAEC needed the support from all to ensure that leakages of examinations were controlled.