Gapson Kofi Raphael, the General Secretary of the National Council of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), has exposed a troubling link between government performance contracts and the rise of examination malpractice in Ghanaian schools.
In a recent documentary by TheForthEstate titled “Free SHS: The Lies, The Truth and The Reality,” Raphael detailed how some headmasters, pressured by government demands, have resorted to unethical practices to meet unrealistic pass rate targets.
Raphael explained that under the administration of President Akufo-Addo, the government sidelined the PTA’s role in schools, especially after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The government said it in 2018, but post-COVID, they came out fighting PTAs, changing the PTA, trying to create the impression that nothing should happen in the schools, no parents should contribute anything,” he said.
According to Raphael, this shift has reduced PTA involvement to mere survival issues rather than focusing on infrastructure or educational development.
He revealed that PTA funds have sometimes been misused to support examination malpractice.
“To the extent that it’s shy, but I have to say it,the PTAs funds got to a point that it’s even being used to support examinational malpractices, because the heads will come and tell you that, Masa, we’ve gone to sign a performance agreement contract that we need to deliver 100%. So whatever Kwakwaka means we have to do for the children to pass, we will do it for them to pass.,’Raphael disclosed.
He further lamented the culture of silence surrounding these practices, noting that anyone who tried to speak out was branded a troublemaker.
“And people were cashing in and doing all kinds of things, and who dare you say you are coming forth to fight that thing? You are seen as a persona non grata”.
He added “And that is how you saw that for the past four, five years, examination practices, especially at both the basic and senior high schools, went to a point that you knew what was going on. And this is not what we are”.
Raphael didn’t mince words by stating“We are training our kids to be corrupt when they have not even gotten to any stage that they should be thinking about corruption,”.
Source : www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
