The Ghana Education Service (GES) has caused some turmoil by directing supervisors and invigilators of this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to conduct a thorough search of candidates sitting for the exams in the Waija-Gbawe Municipality.
In a memo dated 18th July 2023 that has now gone viral on social media, the education body authorised its officials to thoroughly search all candidates including their private parts before they are allowed to enter the examination hall.
The directive is among a long list of others aimed at checking examination malpractices among the students sitting for the 2023 B.E.C.E.
It was speculated that the education body resorted to this drastic action because of a handful of cases of students hiding prepared text inside their bras and panties before entering the hall to facilitate cheating.
But the circulation of the memo has attracted public outrage, with many rights activists accusing the body of overstepping its bounds by violating the personal dignity of the students.
At the time of filing this report, it was reported by a section of the Ghanaian press that the GES has rescinded the directive, but a memo to this effect is yet to be seen. On the other hand, the memo containing the controversial directive is still circulating.
The contentious directive appears in point 4 of the memo. See a copy of the memo below.
