WAEC security apprehends three persons

04-21-08
Page 11

SECURITY personnel of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have apprehended three persons alleged to be involved in the extortion of money from candidates registering for the November/December West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
This followed media reports of alleged extortion, frustration of candidates and their parents, as well as shortage of entry cards for the registration of the examination.
The suspects who were said to be operating at the Sekyi Asare Menako Hall on the Switch Back Road are Bright Kumado, Japhet Penny and Peter Kuma.
The three said they were facilitating the registration of the candidates. Bright and Japhet said they were asked by an Internet operator at Madina, William Owusu, to help him in the registration of the candidates.
He said they charged the candidates GH¢7 for the facilitation of the registration of the candidates.
The Director in charge of Legal Affairs at WAEC, Mr Frederick Selby, told journalists that Peter had in his possession brown envelopes containing the declaration and confirmation forms of candidates stamped white envelopes.
He is alleged to have charged GH¢1.2 per candidate for the white stamped envelopes and GH¢2 for the collection of the brown envelopes he collected from candidates for submission.
He said the council did not ask any candidate to submit envelopes as part of the registration process.
The Head of National Office of WAEC, Mrs Patience Ayesu, said the council had not employed anybody or agents to facilitate the registration of November/December candidates, saying that suspects were not even supposed to be operating at the council’s premises.
She said WAEC was capable of doing its own registration and did not hire anybody to assist it in the registration of candidates.
She, therefore, advised candidates to desist from channelling their registration through agents and deal directly with the council.
She warned those involved in the illegal act to stop, else they would be caught soon since the council had stepped up security checks.
Mr Selby wondered why some candidates decided to entrust their registration into the hands of others since all the information on the examination was provided on the Internet.
He said the council needed only the declaration and the confirmation forms and nothing else, saying that once those forms did not get to them, it created problems for the council.
He said the council would investigate whether the forms collected by suspects had been presented to it.
The Daily Graphic reported last week that frustration, anger and allegations of extortion by officials of the WAEC had nearly marred the last day of the on-line registration for the November/December WASSCE at the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC) on Monday.