A Member of Parliament’s Education Select Committee, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, has called for a review of the country’s assessment system for students.
Speaking on radio over the weekend about the increasing trend of examination malpractices in the 2025 BECE and the ongoing 2025 WASSCE, the lawmaker said that the review will help eliminate the recurrence of malpractices among students.
He expressed concerns over the current student assessment system, questioning how a few hours of examination are used to grade students’ academic performances after they have spent years in school.
“It is worrying that after spending about nine years in school, pupils are assessed within just three hours. Don’t you think we should rethink our assessment criteria?
“Unless we change the framework of assessment and how questions are presented, malpractice will continue,” he is quoted as having said by myjoyonline.com.
Details:
Dr Agyemang, who is also the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, dismissed the idea that installing CCTV cameras alone can stop exam cheating.
He insisted that a review of the assessment system is a better way to address the problem.
“Look at the number of exam centers across the country. Even if we install CCTVs, they won’t stop malpractice. At best, they will only record it. After all, if the question-setting system remains predictable, the temptation and opportunity for malpractice will always exist,” he said.
He continued, “Society is changing. The workplace is changing. If our schools only teach students to pass a paper in three hours, we are failing them. Assessment must measure holistic learning and not just recall.”
Assurance:
The lawmaker assured the public of Parliament’s commitment to finding lasting solutions to completely stop the problem.
“Parliament is listening, and we will play our role. But the truth is this; if we don’t rethink assessment policy, we’ll keep discussing malpractice every single year,” he concluded.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/Michael Ofosu-Afriyie, Kumasi.
