The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has denied claims by the Ghana Education Service (GES) that BNI personnel will accompany WAEC officials in the distribution of examinations papers for this year’s Basic Certificate Examination Certificate Examination (BECE) scheduled from June 13-17.

“WAEC has police unit within WAEC who will accompany the questions to the depot and they will still accompany the questions from the depot to the various examination centers. I am not aware of any directives and recommendations which says we should use the BNI instead of the police”, the Public Affairs Director of WAEC, Mrs. Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, told Onua FM’s Yen Sempa hosted by Kwame Karikari on Monday.

GES last week announced that personnel of the Bureau of National Investigations will now accompany WAEC officials in the distribution of BECE papers which began today.

The rampant leak of examination papers at the basic and second cycle level has been great source of concern to parents and students alike.

The Director General of the GES, Jacob Kor, said the GES had concluded with the Ghana Police Service and the Bureau of National Investigations to help provide effective security and quality control monitoring mechanisms throughout the period of the examinations, a move which forms part of its measures to avert examination leaks.

But Mrs. Teye-Cudjoe said WAEC is only aware of the police escort and not that of the BNI.

She also rejected claims by the GES that the examination papers would be flown to other parts of the country like Kumasi and Tamale.

“We have no recommendation to fly the papers to other parts of the country,” she noted.

EXAMINATION MONTH POSTPONED

On the suggestion that WAEC should change its timetable because June is a raining reason, Mrs. Teye-Cudjoe explained that, previously, the examination was conducted in April which was not a raining season, but GES wanted the children to have more time with the teachers that was why it was shifted to June.

She said stakeholders can meet and deliberate on the suggestion to have the timetable changed.

6,812 RESULTS WITHHELD

In 2015, WAEC withheld results of 6,812 students who allegedly indulged in various malpractices in the 2015 BECE.

The widespread leaks of some of the BECE papers compelled WAEC to cancel five papers.

The affected subjects were English Language 2, Religious and Moral Education 2, Science 2, and Mathematics 2 and Social Studies 2.

BECE BEGINS TODAY

About 461, 013 candidates from 14,267 public and private Junior High Schools in the country will today [Monday] take part in the Basic Education Certificate Examination.

The candidates are made up of 239, 963 males and 221, 050 females. They would be supervised by at least 15, 695 invigilators.

Story by Kweku Antwi-Otoo/Onua FM/3news.com