The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has relocated the centre for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at the Bright Senior High School (SHS) in Kukurantumi to Ofori Panin Senior High School, following a recent attack on its officials.
The students of Bright SHS launched the attack after allegedly being incited by their proprietor, Bright Amponsah who was reportedly upset WAEC officials had tightened security during the examination.
The attack left some of the officers and a journalist wounded and hospitalised.
WAEC in a statement said it had decided to relocate the examination centre to “ensure the integrity of the examination and safeguard the lives of examination officials.”
It also promised to take legal action against any person “involved in compromising the integrity of the examination in any manner” in future incidents.
“WAEC wishes to use this opportunity to encourage all supervisors and invigilators to continue to be vigilant and carry out their duties diligently and without fear.”
The proprietor of the school has been picked up by Police from the Eastern Regional Command.
How the incident occurred
Nii Djan Mensah, the WAEC official supervising the Kukurantumi and Tafo Zones recounted that on Monday when the integrated science paper was being written, he discovered some evidence of cheating in a urinal in the school.
Then in one of the exam halls, he says he also found foreign materials under the desk of one of the candidates, though the invigilator, one of the teachers in the school, pretended not to see it.
Mr. Mensah said he then tried to retrieve the material, but the teacher hurriedly took it and “before I realize, he had put it in his mouth and he started chewing it.”
Because of what happened on Monday, WAEC decided not to allow any of the school’s teachers near the examination centres.
The heightened security during the subsequent days of the exams reportedly infuriated the proprietor of the school who charged the students to leave the examination hall and beat up the invigilators.
A reporter with the Daily Graphic in Koforidua, Damalie Emmanuel Pacome, was also later attacked by the students wielding knives, cutlasses, sticks, and stones.
Apart from this incident, there have been other riots at Juaben Senior High School and Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School.
