EDUCATION

Break WAEC’s monopoly to force them to be efficient – Africa Education Watch

The government is being urged to introduce alternative public education examination bodies to break the monopoly currently enjoyed by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

According to the Executive Director of the Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, this will force the West African examination body to sit up and act swiftly to address the challenges its examinations are fraught with.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Saturday, Kofi Asare said WAEC’s failure to check the lapses in its examination regime, including the leakage of question papers ahead of the examinations could devalue the importance of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West Africa Senior School Certification (WASSCE).

“The challenge we have with WAEC is that it has a monopoly and because it is a monopoly it is not under any pressure to deliver. Every year, there are leakages and no one seems to care but it will get to a point where our certificate will become a paper if we don’t check it,” he said.

Mr. Asare’s comment comes on the back student protests and in some cases, physical assault of WAEC officials by WASSCE candidates who claim the officials prevented them from cheating in the exams.

The development which has characterized the 2020 WASSCE examination has regenerated the conversation of student expectations and conduct during exit exams.

In one of the instances where a WAEC official was assaulted, a teacher is alleged to have supported a candidate to refer to a foreign material with already-solved questions.

Kofi Asare said the government can contract another examination body to serve as an alternative to WAEC in Ghana so that WAEC commits to tackling the challenges with its examinations.

“In other jurisdictions, there is no monopoly in the public sector assessment ecosystem like we have done for WAEC so we [Africa Education Watch] have said that for us to ensure that WAEC’s key problem which is security of papers is solved, we need to find the way for some competition.”

“Get one of two international examination bodies to enter the public space, undertake the same assessment using the same syllabus so that there will be competition for WAEC, other than that, WAEC’s monopoly will keep making them lax,” he added.

WAEC is currently the only examination body that administers Junior High School and Senior High School exit examinations in Ghana.

It conducts the same examinations with Anglophone Africa countries, including Nigeria, Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone.

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. In addition to his media ventures, Solomon serves as a Brand Ambassador for Alabuga, a prominent Russian industrial company, representing their interests and expansion across Africa. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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