File photo: Students sitting for WASSCE examination
On August 4, 2020, I watched on various media platforms videos about the reaction of some Senior High School (S.H.S) finalists who wrote their Integrated Science paper.
Some schools were seen jubilating while as others were complaining bitterly about the paper they wrote. As with every examination irrespective of the level, situations like these are expected but what really shocked me was the gross misconduct perpetuated by some of these students especially in this particular examination.
It has been reported that some schools embarked on demonstration, destroyed properties owned by the school and even threatened teachers and invigilators. Some even went to the extent of hurling insults on the president of the republic of Ghana in unprintable words. Their reasons were that invigilation was strict, questions they were expecting did not come and they were not allowed to cheat. Such an impudence!
The most unfortunate part was some individuals, groups and opinion leaders who politicize the entire incident and have subjected it to political gymnastics.
As a concerned citizen I believe so much that this gross misconduct portrayed by these students must be condemned by all devoid of one’s political affiliation. The reasons backing the actions of these students dumbfound me and what put me in awe was those that have the guts to insults the president His excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo Addo.
Have our society now lost respect for the elderly or this is the kind of future leaders our educational system is churning out, youth that seeks to blame others for their misfortune and all that they know is to rampage properties to seek redress to their issues. What is the essence of their education then? This is very sad.
I also ask, what at all were these students doing when they were in the house during the COVID-19 break and were the interventions made by various governments to make education accessible and free to everyone not an enough encouragement for these students to have studied? These misconducts portrayed by the students should not go unpunished. The appropriate punishment should be served to deter following batches from doing same.
I saw a common trait in the reaction of most of these disappointed students. A trait which reflects so strongly in our communities; the act of politicizing issues or projects in the country. We view everything with a political lens. Some of this students blamed the government because they could not write their paper. It will be irrational to blame any government for happenings like this but am afraid that is what our society has taught them.
We cannot afford as a country to play politics with every situation which happens around us. We must have the development of our nation at heart but not the fame or approval of our political parties. It is about time we call a spade a spade in this country.
This needless politicization of core developmental issues is holding our country back and we need to stop. We are not doing posterity any good with this kind of politics.