Evolve criteria for exam script markers

Takoradi, July 22, GNA - The Ghana Education Service (GES) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have been urged to establish a sound criterion for the selection of examiners and script markers to protect the image and credibility of their educational credentials.

Participants at a forum on education in Takoradi on Friday, also stressed the need for guidance and counselling units in schools to assist parents and students in the selection of subjects to enhance the attainment of future careers.

The forum organised by the GES and WAEC as part of the sensitisation programme on the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), was attended by Regional and District Directors of Education, heads of institutions, teachers parents and students. Some of the participants criticised the behaviour and comportment of some examiners and script markers with one narrating an incident at Koforidua, during which he alleged a script marker was so drunk he left a pack of scripts in a taxi.

Another alleged seeing one busily marking scripts in a commercial vehicle he was travelling on and asked what would have been the fate of students if the vehicle had been involved in an accident. Mr. Samuel Oppong, a member of the team from the CSSPS Secretariat said the GES was collaborating with WAEC to retrain examiners and script markers and explained that the system was introduced to ensure transparency in the selection of students to Senior Secondary Schools to eliminate the problems associated with the former method for selection. He said a new result slip format had been introduced to facilitate the selection of students purely based on merit and pointed out that most of the errors under the CSSPS emanated form schools and candidates and not faults of WAEC.

These, he said included wrong shading of codes for schools and programmes, females choosing male schools and the wrong shading of gender codes, adding that, while some errors could be corrected by WAEC, other ones could not and advised school heads and parents to take interest in the issue for future eradication.

"Heads of schools must be careful and take their time in the registration of students since the computer will produce garbage if fed with garbage".

Mr. Emmanuel Mills also of the CSSPS Secretariat, said no personnel of the unit could manipulate the computer in any manner and took the participants through the right method of registration, shading of examination papers and explained some issues that were raised. Mrs Rebecca Dadzie, Mpohor Wassa East District Director of Education, expressed the hope that the programme would help to avoid the errors under the CSSPS and urged the participants to educate other members of the public to understand the new system.