Member of Parliament for Pru East, Boam Kwaku Emmanuel, has accused senior high schools of imposing an “Examination Support Levy” that functions as an examination malpractice fee, with parents reportedly paying between GHC 1,000 and GHC 1,500.
He made these claims during an interview with Kojo Marfo on AbusuaNkommo at Abusua965FM.
Mr. Emmanuel revealed that many individuals are willing to expose the extent of systematic corruption linked to examination malpractice in the schools.
He emphasized that for the past seven to eight years, examination malpractice has been an open secret that has largely gone unaddressed by authorities.
According to the MP, the so-called Examination Support Levy is misleading because it implicitly supports malpractice rather than helping students legitimately.
“Why is it that they’re charging an examination malpractice levy to ‘help’ students? They avoid calling it a malpractice levy and instead call it an Examination Support Levy, with students paying between GHC 1,000 and GHC 1,500. We all know the school is under the Free SHS policy, meaning no money should be taken, yet parents are paying these fees,” he said.
He further noted that authorities at the highest level are aware of these practices but have not taken meaningful action, allowing the issue to persist unchecked.
“It’s not that those at the top do not know; this is an open secret, yet we have remained unconcerned while it has gone on for a long time.”
In his constituency, Mr. Emmanuel said he has initiated scholarship programs to encourage more youth to pursue education.
However, only one out of every ten students approached is willing to continue schooling due to fears of defending their academic results.
“Our investigation concluded that students say they are not able to defend their results,” the Mp disclosed adding “So, they would rather join the police or the military. Have you noticed why, during military or police recruitment, there is such overcrowding? You might ask, ‘Won’t they be able to go to university?’ Why do we have so many people at that level who don’t want to continue their education? This is another contributing factor.”
The MP urged a national conversation on examination malpractice, calling for a holistic review of the country’s examination system in light of technological advancements and the changing demands of society.
“It is high time Ghana sits down and analyzes this holistically. The exams these students write need to be reviewed to address the changing times ahead, especially with regard to technology,” he emphasized.
He argued that current exams serve mainly to determine student progression rather than addressing practical challenges faced daily.
“We still use examinations only to prove that a student can progress, but they do not help us solve the daily problems we face. So, a student who progresses to university and graduates often returns home unemployed. It is time for the whole country to seriously consider this issue,” Mr. Boam concluded.
Source: www.Kumasimail.com
