The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers, Jacob Anaba, has called for an end to political interference in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examination processes.

He says students’ results must reflect their genuine academic abilities and should not be influenced by politicians, schools or communities.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on September 15, Mr Anaba said political pressure on examination officials could undermine the credibility of WAEC results.

He urged all stakeholders to allow students to be assessed solely on their own preparation, abilities and performance.

Mr Anaba also said the apparent reduction in reported cases of examination malpractice could be attributed to increased monitoring and tougher measures against offenders.

He said teachers have become more cautious following previous cases in which educators were arrested for their involvement in examination malpractice.

“To some extent, I may agree with the president because, as far as I’m concerned, news about exam malpractice is not making the headlines any longer.”

However, Mr Anaba expressed concern over the number of subject cancellations recorded in the January WAEC examinations.

“One worrying issue is that in the January month of WAEC, it indicates that we have the highest subject cancellation since the new exams started.”

He said there was a need to establish the reasons behind the cancellations and determine whether they were linked to collusion or other forms of examination malpractice.

“One would need to know what are the reasons for the cancellation of these subjects and results. Is it due to collusion or other factors?”

Mr Anaba said the Chief Examiner’s report would provide more information on the circumstances surrounding the cancelled results.

He further raised concerns about pressure from politicians, schools and communities, saying such influence could affect the integrity of the examination process.

According to him, students should be allowed to sit for examinations without external interference and should be assessed according to their own abilities.

“The community should allow the student to give their best because they should know that it cannot be helped in our examination.”

Mr Anaba said the teachers’ association had previously spoken against political influence on examination results, stressing that the issue requires collective action.

“We have spoken against it. It is something that the nation will have to work at it.”

He argued that students must be prepared to lead the country in the future and therefore deserve an education system that rewards genuine ability.

“They must be produced according to their abilities, their God-given talent that must be developed and not what politicians decide to do to them.”

Mr Anaba also alleged that examination malpractice has, in some cases, involved communities obtaining examination questions, having them solved and distributing the answers to candidates.

“In some communities they come together and then they buy examination questions and get some people to solve and distribute to the students.”

He called on politicians, schools, communities and other stakeholders to allow examination authorities to operate independently and ensure that WAEC results accurately reflect students’ performance.