A Human Rights lawyer, Edmund Foley, is urging managers of the country’s educational institutions to reconsider the use of final examination as the main tool for assessing final year students.
According to Mr. Foley, the weight placed on final examinations puts a lot of stress on students and in some cases, compels them to circumvent the system just so they do not to miss their graduation.
His comments follow revelations by Sarah Danya, a former student of the Jirapa Nursing Training College that, she was compelled to opt for induced delivery a couple of weeks to her due time, just to be able to take part in the licensing examination while she was in her final year.
Many final year students of training institutions across the country, who get pregnant ahead of their final examination endure a lot of stress.
JoyNews reported Wednesday, that the Principal of Gushiegu Nursing Training College, Winnefred Wondong, prevented a final year student, Cecilia Awuni from continuing with the rest of the licencing examination because she was found to be carrying a four-month pregnancy. Cecilia had written three of the six papers earlier and was expected to finish on Friday, May 12.
But she was removed from the exam hall and told to go and come back after delivery and complete the course.
Contributing to the discussion on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM on Thursday, May 11, Mr. Foley said Mrs Wondong’s decision violates the fundamental human rights of the student as enshrined in the Constitution.
“The constitution of this country is very clear on administrative bodies and administrative officials. They are required to act fairly and reasonably and comply with the requirements imposed on them by law,” he said.
That notwithstanding, Mr. Foley wants the institutions to adopt creative means of assessing the students so that the candidates do not get “pushed to final exams”.
“Continuous assessment throughout a semester and then a less weighty final exam makes sense but not this militaristic testing model that we have in our schools [which] pushes people to do things that are not right”.
Cecilia’s husband, James Ajusiyine told Kojo Yankson that “the decision to bar her (Cecilia) from writing the exams is rather making her sick than the actual pregnancy.”
Dr. Paddy Aryeetey, Obstetrician and a Gynaecologist at the Resolve Clinic said the decision to ask the student to go home makes no sense. “This is violence of women against women. It makes no sense!”
Meanwhile, Registrar of the Nurses and Midwifery Council, Felix Nyanteh says his outfit will instruct the Principal to arrange for the candidate to write a supplementary paper at a later date.
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