E/R: BRIGHT SHS Students attack some WAEC Officials and a Journalist.

   

Students of Bright Senior High School at Kukurantumi have attacked officers of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) supervising the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The proprietor of the school, Bright Amponsah ordered students to attack the WAEC officers because he was allegedly upset the officials had tightened invigilation during the examination.

This attack from the student body has left some officers and a journalist injured.

According to the WAEC officer supervising the Kukurantumi and Tafo Zones, Nii Djan Mensah, malpractice among students are being backed by teachers and authorities of the school.

Mr. Mensah narrated that on Monday when the Integrated Science was being written, he spotted a copy of the booklet in the urinal room in the school. He also said that he found a foreign material under the desk of one of the candidates of which the invigilator who happens to be a teacher of the school pretended not to see it.

Mr. Mensah said he tried to retrieve the material and before he realised, the invigilator had put it in his mouth and started chewing it.

“Once he started chewing it, one of the administrators saw him chew the photocopied materials. He asked him to bring it out. I also asked him to bring it out, but he didn’t,” he added “After he chewed it for some time, he removed and threw it away and then bolted.” 

This incident caused WAEC to recruit external invigilators to come and invigilate students of the school. The WAEC also decided to go around with verification devices to avoid impersonators.

This tight security caused the proprietor of the school to order his students to halt the examination and attack these officials and reporters.

“Before we realized, the students had surrounded us. Once they surrounded us, then the proprietor gave them the command to beat us. Then they started beating us” said Mr. Mensah.

The reporter for Daily Graphic, Emmanuel Pacome who was also a victim of the incident,  as we speak now is on admission at the Tafo Government Hospital.

According to the reporter, they jumped onto motorbikes and crossed him with crowbars and stones.

“They were shouting I was a thief, so nobody wanted to help me. They were beating me with sticks” he said.

Juaben Senior High School and Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School are among the schools that have caused violence during examinations, but the Ghana Education Service (GES) is investigating into these matters.  

Some pictures of the injured WAEC official and reporter....

 By:[Justina Amoah]