'WAEC Has Lost Its Relevance; Scrap It'

The Vice Chancellor of the Valley View University, Professor Daniel Kwame Bediako, has called for the scrapping of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) because it has outlived its usefulness.

According to Prof. Bediako, as an institution bequeathed by the colonial masters, it has not been able to bring any better changes to the moral development of the nation, adding that after several years of passing many students, it has not been able to bring any positive impact on the social lives of the people.

Prof Bediako made the call at the 24th Congregation of Valley View University, and the 3rd Congregation for the Techiman Campus in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

The occasion saw a total of 886 students from the Techiman Campus and Tamale Learning Centre being presented with certificates, diplomas and degrees in the fields of Business, the Sciences and Education, among others.

Professor Bediako rather suggested the formation of a well-thought-out institution that would be able to bring moral and technical training to the people to match up with the current state of the market needs of employers.

Corruption
Professor Daniel Kwame Bediako observed that corruption is endemic among Ghanaians, and not just a select section of society.

He said, instead of accusing collective groups and institutions like the Ghana Football Association, Ghana Police Service and politicians of corruption, the nation should rather condemn individuals in those institutions who are corrupt.

Prof Bediako explained that it was unfortunate that it had become the norm that people adore and respect others because they are rich, without caring about their sources of wealth.

The Minister of Health, Mr. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, who was the Special Guest, commended the university for its role in the training of health personnel in the country.

He pledged the government's support towards the operations of the university in the delivery of quality education to support the various sectors of the economy.

Mr. Agyemang-Manu encouraged the youth to take advantage of the various job creation initiatives introduced by the government to minimise graduate unemployment, and to increase the nation's productivity.

The Valley University, with students from twenty-two countries, has three campuses (Oyibi in Accra, Techiman in Brong-Ahafo, and Kumasi in Ashanti).

It also operates two learning centres (Tamale in the Northern Region and Takoradi in the Western Region).

For the 2018/2019 Academic Year, 2,876 students were admitted, bringing the total figure of enrolment to 9,295, as against last year's total of 9,605.

About WAEC
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), a non-profit-making organisation, with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana, was established in 1952 after the governments of Ghana (then Gold Coast), Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia enacted the West African Examinations Council Ordinances in 1951. Liberia became the fifth member of the Council in 1974.

The enactment of the Ordinances was based on the Jeffrey Report, which strongly supported the proposal for the setting up of a regional examining board to harmonise and standardise pre-university assessment procedures in the then British West Africa.

The main objectives of the Council are to conduct examinations in the public interest, and award certificates, provided that the certificates did not represent lower standards of attainment than equivalent certificates of examining authorities in the United Kingdom.

Convention Establishing the Council
The Council celebrated its 30th Anniversary in March 1982 in Monrovia, Liberia, during which the Convention establishing the WAEC was signed. The Convention was subsequently ratified by member governments and came into force in August 1984.

The Council, under the Convention, was inaugurated in March 1985. The Convention now gives uniform legal backing to the operations of Council in all the member countries, makes provision for significant changes in the structure of the Council, and gives it legal personality as an international body.

A Headquarters Agreement signed with the Government of Ghana in 1987, confers certain privileges and immunities on the Council’s Headquarters in Ghana.

To take care of recent developments in its member countries, a process to revise the Convention was initiated at the turn of the century. The Revised Convention was signed in June 2003.

Structure of the Council
Part of the Council’s strength is its well-developed committee structure.

WAEC’s committees and Council itself are made up of some of the best men and women in the various fields of human endeavour in the sub-region, particularly in education.

There are about seventy committees working on various aspects of the Council’s activities at the local and international levels.

These are in addition to the over 100 subject panels that operate from time to time to review developments in the different subject examinations.

All these ensure that the operations of the Council are meticulously performed, and make the Council an authority on educational issues.

The WAEC has had eleven National Heads in Ghana, with Dr Chris Modu as the first National Head of the Council from 1964-1965, while Mrs Wendy E. Addy-Lamptey is the current Head of WAEC Ghana.

Achievements
Since its establishment over 60 years ago, the Council has examined millions of candidates. Starting with a modest figure of 35,000 candidates throughout West Africa in 1955, the candidature has been increasing over the years. In 2009, the Council conducted examinations for 2,811,757 candidates in its member countries.

The Council conducts a variety of research activities. These activities constitute a vital part of the Council’s operations, and aim broadly at helping the Council evaluate and improve its operating methods, tests and the services it offers to the educational and vocational world.

The Council has established an Endowment Fund to promote educational development to fund annual awards for candidates who excel in the examinations.

The Council continues to use technology to its advantage. The WAEC Direct Result Hosting and website facility was successfully implemented in 2003 and 2004 in Nigeria and Ghana respectively.

This has made it possible for the WASSCE results in the two countries, and the BECE in Ghana, to be accessed online.