Sanctions meted out to 14 deviant WASSCE candidates harsh – Ablakwa

A former Deputy Minister of Education, Okudzeto Ablakwa has described as “harsh”, the punishment given to the 14 Senior High School students who were involved in acts of indiscipline and vandalism during the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The 14 students have been dismissed and barred from writing their remaining papers in the exams.

Okudzeto Ablakwa said the GES’ decision to resort to “arbitrary punishment” will not tackle the fundamental cause of the students’ actions.

The North Tongu legislator asked the GES to conduct an independent investigation into circumstances that led to the incident rather than resorting to harsh punishments to tackle the problem.

“While pursuing reformative punishment I propose, it is absolutely essential that independent investigations are conducted into the circumstances that led to the rather strange expectations and conditions that have brought us to this embarrassing juncture.”

Some Senior High School students have been protesting what they call tight security and supervision of the ongoing West African Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

While students of the Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School and Juaben Senior High School threatened to boycott their exams because they thought supervisors were ‘too strict’ during the supervision of their first paper, Bright Senior High School students at Kukurantumi attacked some invigilators after allegedly being incited by their proprietor.

Students who were in schools where the destruction of school property occurred are to be surcharged for the full cost of the damage.

According to GES, the results of these students will be withheld until they have fully paid up the full cost of items destroyed.

Read Ablakwa’s full statement below:

 

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