GCE: Can examination leaks be avoided?

Official examinations in Cameroon are underway, and authorities in charge are making sure the sessions unfold smoothly.

For the General Certificate of Education (GCE) in the Anglo-Saxon subsystem, the students are rounding off with the practical phase and will commence with the written part by May end.

One of the challenges that authorities have faced over the years has been the prevention of examination leaks.

Reports indicate that despite the efforts made by the organizers, the examination board still finds itself vulnerable to malpractices.

While noting that rigidness is exercised from the conception, and printing to transportation of examination question papers, some authorities indicate that the procedure followed now is different from what used to be in the past.

“In my time, we used military aircraft to transport the question papers. From script conception to dispatching to the different examination centers, the process was cumbersome, yet well defined” Bisse Bea, former Director of exams in the Ministry of Secondary Education indicates.

He, however, notes that despite all the current frailties, “the activities are still done in all confidentiality and security” such that if there is a leak, “the ministry or the authorities responsible are able to know who has done what, where and when”.

In recent examination sessions, several schools have faced sanctions with some results withheld for fraud.