FoI ACT: Court Grants Exam Ethics Leave To Apply For Order Of Mandamus Against WAEC.

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downloadHis lordship, Honourable Justice E.S Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 granted Exam Ethics Marshals International leave to apply for an ORDER OF MANDAMUS compelling the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to make available to Exam Ethics documents and information relating to

 

  1. Names of invigilators and supervisors reported to State Ministries of Education for aiding and abetting of examination malpractice in:
  2. May/June 2013 WAEC exams.
  3. May/June 2014 WAEC exams.
  • November/December 2014 WAEC exams.

 

  1. Names of schools indicted for mass cheating in May/June 2014 and November/December 2014 exams and barred as WAEC Exams Centres.

 

  1. Names of candidates barred from sitting for WAEC examinations because of involvement in exam fraud in November/December WAEC 2014 examination.

 

  1. WAEC 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.

 

  1. Any other relevant information/record that will be of assistance to the organization towards realizing its objectives.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. The Court adjourned the case to July 15, 2015 for hearing of the substantive application.

 

  1. Exam Ethics Marshals International is an NGO that has been involved in the campaign to combat exam malpractice, academic dishonesty and corruption in education since 1996.

 

 

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