2023 WASSCE: NAGRAT demands probe into AI cheating allegations

The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, is calling for a probe into the alleged use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated answers by some candidates in the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), in a statement, said it has withheld the results of some subjects for candidates from 235 schools who provided AI-generated answers during the 2023 WASSCE.

WAEC also canceled the subject results of 3,647 candidates for bringing foreign materials, such as prepared notes, textbooks, and printed materials, into the examination halls.

The results of 839 candidates were canceled for possessing mobile phones in the examination halls.

In an interview with Umaru Sanda on Face to Face on Citi TV, Mr. Carbonu raised concerns about the number of schools implicated, calling on WAEC to ensure that innocent students do not suffer unjustifiably.

Mr. Carbonu further called on the exams body to provide answers as to how the students were able to use AI.

“It sounds strange to me that some of the names that I’m hearing are the schools where the students had the opportunity to use AI. These days, mobile phones can do anything. But before a student enters the examination hall, the student is searched, and any foreign material is taken. And it’s against the rules to allow any student to go into the exam hall with a mobile phone. At what point did the students access the AI information on the mobile phones? Did the students see the question ahead of time for them to be able to get onto AI sites, solve it, memorize it, and come to the exam hall to reproduce it?”

He added, “I will need more information to put some value on those accusations. Sometimes what happens is that one or two students in a center are being identified as compromising the sanctity of the exam. Therefore, everybody collectively is punished. That also ought to be looked at critically because innocent students should not suffer for the ills of a few. The sheer number of withheld results is worrying to me.”

He questioned if some teachers had been implicated in aiding the candidates during the exam.

“Are there some teachers who have also been identified to have compromised their professionalism in an attempt to aid students in writing the exam? We need to get that information,” NAGRAT President stated.

He praised the academic excellence of Tyrone Iras Marhguy, the young Rastafarian who was denied admission to Achimota School because of his dreadlocks.

“Congratulations to him,” he said.

Marhguy excelled in the 2023 West African Senior Secondary School Examinations (WASSCE), scoring an impressive 8As.

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