Editorial

‘Students can request information from WAEC under RTI Law’

Students can now request the raw score of their examination performance from the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) if they so desire under the Right To Information (RTI) Law and WAEC must comply, Mr Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo,

Chairman the National Media Commission (NMC), has said.

He said “Institutions will have to sit up because individuals can apply to get their score, and when people have failed in some exams and want to find their raw score, officials will say pay some money before.

“All that will be a thing of the past, so a lot of institutions can no longer hide their weaknesses because this law will expose them,” he said.

Mr Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo explained that with the coming into force of the law, Ghanaians could access information from all public institution without hindrance.

He said these at a public forum to educate the public on implementation of the Commission’s Act, 2019 (ACT 989), to promote transparency in public discourse.

The forum was organised by the Right to Information Commission (RTIC), aimed at engaging heads of public and private institutions, civil society groups, stakeholders, media fraternity, and student bodies on what is expected of them in the implementation of Act 989.

It was a necessary tool in the government’s effort to attain good governance and sustainable development.

The event also sought to bring together major stakeholders, including opinion leaders and the general public and afford them the opportunity to interact and share their concerns on the Act.

Mr Ayeboafo noted that the coming into force of the Act would expose many institutions in the country, saying that “the situation where individuals are sometimes compelled by some office holders to make payment to guarantee their access to information from public institutions and relevant private bodies, will be a thing of the past.”

He advised the public to embrace the RTI Act to enable it to work for the collective effort.

Mr Ayeboafo urged the media to sustain education on the new law for the public to appreciate its importance and utilise it to ensure accountability and good governance of institutions across the country. 

Justice Kwasi Anto Ofori-Atta, Board Chairman, RTIC said freedom of information promoted transparency and kept the government accountable.

He said for the country to gain from the benefits of the Act, the citizenry needed to be well-educated on the rights and obligations concerning the Act.

Justice Ofori-Atta indicated that the Commission was set up under the RTI Act 2019, to promote, monitor, protect and enforce the right to information that is granted to a person under Article 21 (1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.


FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI

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