Professor George K.T. Oduro, Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Education, has called on Ghanaians to uphold integrity in examinations to promote genuine learning and safeguard educational standards.

“Integrity is very important in assessment. If we uphold integrity, we will support our students to study and understand to avoid malpractices that undermine the integrity of exams,” he said.

Prof. Oduro made the call at the 31st West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Endowment Fund Lecture held in Accra.

The lecture, held under the theme “Fostering Assessment Integrity Within a Cultural Context of Credentialism,” brought together educationists, students and WAEC staff from across the subregion.

Prof Oduro, a former Pro‑Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, said integrity must be central to education and urged teachers to prioritise conceptual understanding over rote preparation for examinations.

He also called on parents to provide early academic support to their children.

“Parents must also support them now and not wait to find shortcuts. When you use shortcuts, you destroy their future and will not be able to cope when they enter the university,” he said.

Prof Oduro said that upholding integrity enabled education to serve as a foundation for character, competence and collective progress, beyond the acquisition of credentials.

He urged WAEC stakeholders to remain committed to building an integrity‑centred assessment ecosystem to protect opportunity, reward genuine effort and sustain public confidence.

Prof Oduro stressed that the legitimacy of educational systems depended on trust.

“There should be trust that examinations are fair, trust that certificates represent competence, trust that merit not manipulation and determined opportunity in credential‑driven societies.”

On bridging integrity gaps, Prof Oduro urged teachers to emphasise the application of knowledge and appealed to WAEC to strengthen examiner training in ethical leadership and institutional integrity systems.

He called for the use of digital verification, biometric systems and data analytics to curb examination malpractices.

“It is important that we strengthen examination security architecture while redesigning assessment to reduce over‑reliance on single‑stakes outcomes,” he said.

Prof Oduro also urged the Council to enhance harmonised standards and intelligence sharing among member states.

“We should practise public discourse that values learning, competence, integrity of assessment alongside certification.”

Prof Oduro said integrity in assessment was a moral issue grounded in fairness, trust and honesty, warning that undue emphasis on certificates could encourage unethical behaviour.

“Where opportunity structures are perceived as narrow or unjust, moral compromise can be reframed as a survival strategy. Thus, malpractice must be understood not only as deviance but as a symptom of systemic illness and pressure,” he said.

Prof Thomas Brima Rick Yormah, Chairman of Council, said overemphasis on credentials could drive individuals to commit “evils” to obtain certificates.

“We really need to find a bouquet of elements to use to assess, rather than just formal qualifications. Perhaps those who also employ should not just look out for certificates and degrees.

“We should have a mix of products they should be checking and testing for,” he said.

Prof. Yormah assured that all suggestions made at the lecture would be reviewed and submitted to the WAEC committees for consideration and implementation.