The Mfantseman Municipal Education Director, Mr. Daniel Cobbod has defended the action of the invigilator who prevented a BECE candidate from visiting the washroom resulting in her defecating on herself.
A female BECE candidate who was taking her exam at the Mankessim Senior High School examination centre in the Central region was on Friday, November 19, forced to defecate on herself after an invigilator denied her the chance to attend to nature’s call.
The incident, according to EIB’s Central Regional Correspondent, Yaw Boagyan, occurred after several pleas by the student to use the washroom were turned down by the invigilator who insisted she stays in the hall to complete her paper.
Boagyan reported that the student had been feeling unwell prior to the exam. Reports indicate that she was on medication and some of her teachers were aware of the student’s condition.
Despite pleas by some of the teachers, the invigilator ignored them and insisted that the student stays to complete her exam leading to her defecating on herself in the exam hall.
The student was forced to write the exam with faeces on herself until some angry teachers intervened.
She was whisked to the girl’s dormitory to change her uniform after some of her colleagues went to her house to bring new clothes.
The candidate was a Student of Beifikrom Basic School.
But commenting on the issue in an interview with Yaw Boagyan, Mfantseman Municipal Education Director, Mr. Daniel Cobbod said though the incident was regrettable, the said invigilator was simply applying examination rules as spelt out by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).
According to him, the WAEC rules allow Candidates to go out of the Examination room only 30 minutes after an examination has started.
“Students in the examination room can go out only after 30 minutes of the start of the examination. Most students engage in sending foreign materials to the Examination room and the invigilator suspected the victim will be indulging in malpractice hence denied her the chance of going out.”
Mr. Daniel Cobbod disclosed that the invigilators and the Examination coordinators were later informed that the victim was genuinely not feeling well and they feel sorry about the incident.
He said a delegation from the Guidance and Counselling Unit of the Education Directorate will be visiting the girl to counsel her.
The Education Director added that he has directed the Invigilator to go and apologize to the victim and her parents over the issue.
He said a letter will formally be written to WAEC about the incident.
Source: Kasapafmonline.com
