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FoI ACT: Court compels WAEC to release names of cheats to Exams Ethics
Kunle Awosiyan |
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has compelled the West African Examination Council to release documents and information relating to culprits of examination malpractices to Exam Ethics Marshals International.
The presiding Judge, Honourable Justice E.S Chukwu gave this verdict at the weekend as he granted the exams ethics marshal the leave to apply for an ORDER OF MANDAMUS compelling the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to make available the documents and information.
The Chairman of Exam Ethics Marshals International, Mr. Ike Onyechere, MFR, who had requested the examination council to release the documents but WAEC had refused to do so.
According to him, the Exam Ethics had written a letter dated 12th May, 2015 to WAEC requesting the Council to provide information regarding the names of candidates, schools, exam centres, invigilators and supervisors indicted or reported to State Ministries of Education for aiding and abetting exam malpractices in May/June 2013 and November/December 2014 WAEC exams.
The request was sequel to press conference by WAEC where it announced sanctions against examination administrators who aided and abetted malpractice without providing the names of those sanctioned.
When WAEC did not respond to the request within the 7 days statutorily stipulated in the Freedom of Information Act, Exam Ethics proceeded to court to seek for an ORDER OF MANDAMUS compelling WAEC to release the information in line with provisions of the Act.
The Chairman of Exam Ethics Marshals International, Mr. Ike Onyechere, MFR, in an affidavit deposed at the Federal High Court on 2nd June, 2015 stated that non-disclosure of names of indicted supervisors and invigilators make it possible for such indicted persons to continue to participate in administration of public examinations and continue in the practice of compromising the integrity of public examinations.
He also stated in the affidavit that non-disclosure of names of indicted fellows makes it impossible for other education stakeholders including institutions, exam boards, parents and general public to carry out their civic responsibility of ensuring that such indicted persons are kept out of the process of administration of public examinations.
However, in its bid to get the documents, the Exams Ethic Marshal had sued the examination council asking it to provide names of invigilators and supervisors reported to State Ministries of Education for aiding and abetting of examination malpractice in May/June 2013 WAEC exams, May/June 2014 WAEC exams, November/December 2014 WAEC exams.
It requested for names of schools indicted for mass cheating in May/June 2014 and November/December 2014 exams and barred as WAEC Exams Centres; names of candidates barred from sitting for WAEC examinations because of involvement in exam fraud in November/December WAEC 2014 examination.
It also wanted WAEC to provide reports of various States Ministries of Education on their employees involved in exam malpractices in Nov/Dec 2014 WAEC exams as reported on page 8 of the Sun Newspaper of 8 May, 2010.
