One of the questions on the mock BECE exam that Confidence Preparatory students took asked them to explain the “mother serpent of corruption” moniker that Martin Amidu, a former special prosecutor, gave to President Akufo-Addo.
On social media, a copy of the question paper that appears to be from the mock English Language exam has been getting a lot of attention and comments.
“The president of the country was described as the Mother Serpent of corruption. This means that…,” the question reads.
The logical responses offered in response to the contentious query include:
- his mother is a serpent
- he fully endorses corruption
- he behaves like the mother serpent
- he dislikes serpents
On Monday, August 7, 2023, Adom News published the exam questions online, with the contentious question circled.
You may recall that Martin Amidu, who resigned as the Special Prosecutor in November 2020, called Akufo-Addo corrupt in a 27-page response to the president’s allegations against him. He claimed that while taking the presidential oath in that explosive response to the presidency Akufo-Addo was “looking like the innocent flower of anti-corruption but being the mother serpent of corruption under it.”
The opposition party officials and communicators continue to refer to the President with this damning label, and they frequently use it to criticize the current administration.
A question on the exam paper also addressed how the “mother serpent of corruption” label and hardship make life for Ghanaians in the ruling New Patriotic Party administration intolerable.
“The massive corruption and hardship in the country is making it difficult to put body and soul together. This means that life is…,” question 6 of the exam paper reads.
The stolen funds belonging to former Water and Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah, who is the subject of an ongoing investigation, were also mentioned in Question 3. Candidates were asked to explain why it was only the tip of the iceberg, and the following answers were considered plausible: She can spend $1 million on ice cream, the iceberg flooded her bedroom, there is more money in her bedroom, and she is having financial difficulties.
Ghanaians have reacted to the contentious questions in a variety of ways; some have accused Confidence Preparatory of being petty, while others see nothing amiss.
