Dozens of suspended general certificate examination (GCE) candidates have been protesting the sanctions imposed on them by the examination board. The candidates, who were caught cheating during the 2023 session of the exams, are demanding a reconsideration of their cases.
The suspended candidates say they are innocent and do not recognise themselves in the accusations of the GCE Board.
“I carefully listened to the radio when the results were read and could not hear my name. A few days later, I went to school to collect my slip and discovered was given a 3-year ban for cheating. I wrote my exams well and on no occasion found myself cheating or involved in any kind of malpractice. No invigilator complained to me. So I understand why the GCE board will ban me for 3 years,” one of the candidates who wrote ordinary level on suspension told The Guardian Post Newspaper.
An advanced-level student on a 2-year suspension also denied the sanction, saying he had done nothing of the kind the board was accusing him of, to the extent of banning him for 2 years.
A parent trying to intervene says she does not know what the board wants her daughter to do now after suspending her for 3 years. She questioned if her daughter should be sent off for marriage or how.
The protest is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the GCE exams. In recent years, there have been several high-profile cases of cheating, which have led to calls for reform of the exam system.
The current protest is likely to put further pressure on the exam board to address the issue of cheating. The board will need to decide whether to maintain its tough stance or to offer some concessions to the protesters.
The suspended candidates are hoping that their protest will help raise awareness of the issue of cheating in the GCE exams. They are also hoping that the exam board will reconsider their cases and allow them to retake the exams.
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By Washira Helene
Image: CRTV
