B.E.C.E candidature: WHO WRITES THE EXAMS? THE TEACHER OR THE STUDENT?

Gone were the days when exams is approaching, teachers prepare their pupils adequately for it.

But the vice vesa is happening nowadays. Thus teachers are now seen as the 'candidates'. It's obvious that, teachers no longer prepare their students towards an external examination rather, teachers although teaches seriously but end up writing the exams for their students.

One may ask how? Are they not professional teachers?

Well, the fact of the matter is that, Educational examinations especially B.E.C.E is now a competition among the various schools in Africa especially Ghana.

When the academic year starts, instead of policymakers through education minister to the various directors of education to provide the needed materials to enhance teaching and learning, they rather focus on the teachers to deliver (though not bad,but).

When B.E.C.E is getting closer, that's the time education directors will start warning school heads not record any failure in their schools and that, they should do everything possible to make sure their students pass the exams. How possible is this?

"I don't care whatever you will do to let your students pass the exams. All that I want is for your school to get 100% pass". A director said to headmaster.

And when school heads receive these threats and warnings from their directors, and out of fear and panic they also passed it on to all teachers of the various subjects. These headmasters will also intimidate the teachers and ask them to make sure they record all passes in their subject areas.

These teachers, because of the punishment they may get if their students didn't pass, end up becoming 'candidates' themselves

Having taught these pupils for three years, one would've thought that they have prepared their students very adequately for the exams. But teachers in Ghana have to do everything possible (legal or illegal) to see their students pass within 7 days.

This is the time every subject master would have to hunt for 'apor' either by forcing students to pay huge sums of money even though he was tasked to teach these same pupils to pass.this is the time masters would have to even read wide to enable them assist their students during the exams. This is the time teachers will have to put systems in place to ensure easy flow of apor. Some even go to extent of giving the apor to students in the exams halls. WHAT A NONSENSE ACT!

The effects of these actions by some education directors, some headmasters, some teachers and some invigilators are that, students are reluctant to read, not serious in class, abandoned classes for needless activities, indiscipline etc. Because they have a polluted mind that their teachers will "write" for them.

In as much as I agreed to the fact that the joy of a teacher is to see his or her students pass their exams or succeed in life, I also strongly disagree with the illegal methods being employed by some teachers to influence their students success.

Last year(2017) for instance, there was a situation whereby some students rejected their own results not because they failed, rather they 'over' passed. And when I asked them they told me they didn't write any meaningful answers to reserve that good grades. Can you imagine this?

The question: is it professional dishonesty or obeying orders from above?

(C) 2018
@Amaduhadi