WAEC to pay 6m
The Ghanaian Times reports that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has been ordered by a Cape Coast High Court to pay six million cedis to Mr. Bernard Abaidoo as general damages for wrongful cancellation of his examination results in 1996.
In a front page story headlined “WAEC ordered to pay 6m”, the Times says the council will pay an additional 300,000 cedis and 500,000 cedis to cover for Abaidoo?s transportation cost and inconveniences associated with WAEC?s action.
The story reports that Abaidoo in 1995 sat for the November-December GCE ?A? Level examination but had his Economics paper withheld and later cancelled by WAEC, who barred him from writing any of its examinations for three years.
The Times furthered that it was later discovered that Mr. Abaidoo had been wrongfully punished, being innocent of WAEC?s claim.
The paper quotes Mrs. Justice Heward-Mills as saying, in her ruling, that Mr. Abaidoo had suffered immense loss as a result of WAEC?s action. “The potential damage to the plaintiff who was seeking to enter the University could not be calculated” the papersaid.
Mr. Abaidoo had sued the examination body for unlawfully and unjustifiably withholding his results and was consequently demanding damages, which the court
New code of ethics for schools
In another front page story the Times reports that the Ministry of Education will be introducing a new code of ethics for schools very soon, to help check acts of indiscipline.
The Times quotes Dr. Mohammed Ibu Chambas, Deputy Minister of Education in charge of tertiary education as saying that the increasing reports of indecent acts and criminality of various kinds concerning schools had been of great concern to the Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES).
These, he is reported as saying, were undermining the modest, achievements made in the effort to improve the countries educational system and warned that MOE, will not hesitate in applying the necessary measures to protect innocent children.
GRi./
