EduWatch to petition WAEC over application of WASSCE Rule 8(2)

Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) says it in the coming days will submit a formal memo to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on the application of WASSCE Rule 8(2) over the cancellation of a 2022 WASSCE graduate result.

Ahead of the memo submission, the Education Watch has called on the Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum and Ghana Education Service (GES) to review the application of the examination Rule 8(2) for WASSCE for School.

In a social media post sighted by AcademicWeek, EduWatch said the application of Rule 8(2) appears too much of a strict liability rule, especially when there is no suspicion of malpractice or report of the same at the examination centre.

EduWatch’s concerns come after WAEC citing Rule 8(2) cancelled the 2022 WASSCE Chemistry Practical result of a former student of a reputable Girls’ school for failure to write her index number on the examination answer sheet.

Explaining the cancellation of the result, the non-profit-making organization (WAEC) said the candidate’s examination result was cancelled ONLY because she did not write her index number on the Chemistry Practical answer sheet.

But, the education think tank says it while it believes compliance with examination rules is a very important part of their education, cancelling one result for not writing their index number on an answer sheet may be a bit too harsh.

“While compliance with examination rules is a very important part of their education, cancelling one’s result for not writing their index number on an answer sheet may be a bit too harsh, especially if there is no indication whatsoever of malpractice; only negligence,” it said in the post.

The Education Policy Research Organization also say they are of believe that for the index number mistake, the 2022 female WASSCE graduate results would have earned admission into any of the public universities to read science.