Security operatives of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have picked up a suspect, named as Godfred Darko (alias Mr Phresh), who is linked to websites purporting to leak question papers in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Phresh, described as a rogue website operator and a kingpin in the Jerusalema WhatsApp group, has been arrested at Kasoa in the Central Region and handed over to the police.
According to a source at WAEC, the security operatives are on the heels of other members of the Jerusalema rogue platform.
The source named those being pursued as Marcus, Gyimah Motive, Marshal and Sir Eben.
The source told Graphic Online that the WAEC security apparatus has been deployed throughout the country, in collaboration with National Security, to identify and apprehend the culprits.
“Pampered” WAEC
Meanwhile, Owula Mangortey, a social and political commentator, has said it is about time the monopoly of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) was broken to make way for effective competition.
WAEC has been responsible for the conduct of most national and international examinations at pre-tertiary level in Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone for the past six decades. It was established in 1951.
However, in recent times, the examinations have been dogged by allegations of malpractices, forcing WAEC to reschedule two papers in the ongoing WASSCE.
“A new date for the scheduled papers will be communicated in due course,” George Ohene-Mantey, head of WAEC’s test administration division, said at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday.
Touching on the development, Mangortey said “WAEC should up its game” because the allegations of malpractices and leakages are too many.
“I think that we should have competition in the testing system. If there are any other testing regimes we can import into this country we should,” said Mangortey, speaking on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Friday (17 September 2021).
“I would go for an introduction of competition. If you don’t have competitors you’ll be settling for the better when you’re supposed to be the best.”
He added: “WAEC is an over-pampered child. We’ve kept faith with WAEC over the years and I think it’s about time we made WAEC know that there are alternatives.”
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