Legon Students Demand Further Probe

A section of students of the University of Ghana is calling for further investigations into activities of a syndicate involved in exam paper racketeering.

A committee set up to investigate exams malpractice at the country's premier university revealed that most exam papers written in the first semester examinations of the 2004/2005 academic year were leaked, tracing most of the leakages to Kwadwo Tabiri Asenso-Okyere, son of the vice chancellor.

The report of the Mfodwo Committee of enquiry set up by the University authorities as result on Thursday cancelled six papers written in the first semester examinations of the 2004/2005 academic year.

Most of the students at the time I arrived on campus were unaware six papers had been cancelled.

This was the reaction of this Arts student when he became aware he would have to re-sit a paper as a result of yet another cancellation.

“ I am not writing that paper and I don't if other students would write that paper, we are not writing the paper, we will not writ it, that's it.”

Many of students shared similar sentiments and could not fathom writing the same paper several times over.

They questioned why the university authorities were failing to tackle the root cause of the problem.

The students making up my focus group were unanimous that the phenomenon of exam leakage was widespread.

“The leakages are widespread because almost everyone on this campus know that the papers did leak.”

Some blamed exam malpractices on the expectations and demands made on them saying they were too high.

“For the science student they are picking 150 out of the 500 to go to med school and you need a very good grade point average to make it, if I can get the paper why not do it and get into medical school”

That the son of the University's Vice-chancellor was implicated in the exam paper racket did not surprise my respondents.

Yet they argued he was being used as the sacrificial lamb. “ I know he was part of it but his name was not on the list so when I heard that his name was mentioned, I said to myself, that boy should be dealt”

As to the steps taken by the university authorities the comments from the students suggested they had very little confidence in them.

“ I think if this thing should be probed further through the departments, check the grades, we will see a lot of anomalies in the grades if the answer booklets were compared with that of the grade.”