GCE Board Registrar warns against exam malpractices

The Registrar of the Cameroon General Certificate of Examination, CGCE Board, Humphrey Ekema Monono, has warned against all forms of examination malpractices for the 2016 GCE session. Monono sounded the note of warning in a press conference in Buea, May 26 on the eve of the written phase of the 22nd session of the GCE examination.

Commenting on this year’s session, the Registrar said the practical phase started in early May, while the written phase which starts today Monday will run till June17 or 18. 182,493 candidates will be writing this year’s session as against 180,493 candidates last year.

On the security of the examination, Monono called on the Superintendents and Invigilators in the various centres to be conscious, because anybody caught in any form of examination malpractice will be handed over to the forces of law and order, especially those of impersonation.

“No candidate, Superintendent or Invigilator should be caught with a cell phone at the exam hall, and as for the question papers are concerned, they are very secure”, the Registrar assured. He urged all the students to remain focus because the questions set won’t come from heaven, there will be things which the students have learned in class and so no student should start running out looking for question papers.

“Some of the questions set over the years might repeat themselves or look similar because there is a set of syllables which students are tested based on. Questions are not going to come from the blues”, the Registrar averred.

On the increment in the GCE registration fees this year, which the sensitisation started and ended in Mamfe, Monono said it was suspended by the Minister for reasons dear to his heart. He said the increment was necessary because the Board needs money to run the GCE process because they don’t get subventions anywhere and cannot keep waiting on the government.

“The price of paper in 2015 is not the same price today, the procedures and processes are different.” On the release of GCE results online instead of traditional method, the Registrar said the results have never been published online and this year will not be different.

“People float the results online not the GCE Board. The results this year will follow its traditional pattern of dissemination, those who want to buy should register when it is announced and buy and no soft copy will be given out.

Results are individual, if the candidates want us to publish the results on the net, then, there is a problem because that will not be possible. Every candidate should get his/her results at the centre,” he echoed.

Concerns were equally raised about the poor performance of students in English Advance Level, which was introduced last year, but the GCE Board boss said candidates go through the windows during language classes and added that students and teachers have an attitudinal problem towards the languages.

“The more we claim that we know a language the more the results will get poorer and poorer. To be a master in a language, you must study and speak it often. The students have to read and work in collaboration with their teachers else the results will still remain the same”, Monono maintained.

On the criteria used in selecting Secretarial workers and Examiners, the Registrar said before an Examiner is selected, he or she must have thought for at least four years.

For Secretaries, you should not be a current university student or have written the GCE examination.