PART 3: “THE MOCK SCANDAL & THE MARKING MADNESS”

By now, Kwabena Asare had survived:

➢ Seduction disguised as group work

➢ Pageants turned into proposals

➢ Departmental warnings typed in bold and underlined

So when the Head of Department called him one morning and said,

"Kwabena, we're sending you and two other TAs to assist in marking mock BECE maths scripts

for a nearby basic school," he sighed in relief.

Finally! Some peace and numbers. Just red pen, answer booklets, and quiet.

Right?

WRONG.

The Setup

The school was "Winneba Junior Academy for Smart Learners" ironic because most of their

scripts read like this:

"2x + 3x = I don't know, but I tried my best."

Kwabena set up a marking station at the headteacher's office with two other TAs, Benedicta and

George.

First paper: "Solve for X in 2x + 5 = 15." Kwabena

expected:

2x = 10, x = 5.

What he got instead:

"X is a spiritual number. Only God knows." He nearly screamed.

The Real Drama

Everything was fine (by Ghana standards) until Kwabena came across one perfect script.

Clean handwriting. All answers are correct. The steps are

clearly shown. Even margin rules are obeyed. The name on

the script?

Akosua E.. – JHS 3B

Kwabena turned the last page and saw a phone number and a message written faintly in pencil

"Sir, I hope I solved the maths... but if I failed, I still want to solve YOU. Call me." He gasped.

George peeped over and said, "Herh… BECE girls paa?! Kwabena, you dey attract problems like

Wi-Fi."

The Interrogation

Kwabena refused to mark the paper.

He reported it to the assistant headmistress, who narrowed her eyes and said:

"Akosua? Ei, she's 15 but acts like 25. Let me call her!" Akosua

walked in, confident and chewing gum.

"Did you write this?" the assistant headmistress barked.

Akosua smiled. "Madam, the maths paper is finished. But Sir Kwabena's smile is the real

equation I want to solve."

Everyone in the room froze.

Even a passing goat outside paused.

Kwabena, close to fainting, whispered, "This is a trap. This is a full Netflix series."

The Fallout

The school suspended Akosua for "unethical exam conduct" and "harassment of external exam

personnel."

Kwabena? He got ANOTHER official letter this one from the Regional Education Office

warning him to "maintain absolute boundaries" even if students "submit more than algebra." The

Return to UEW

When he got back to UEW, he met Dr. Mensah in the corridor.

The man didn't say hello. He just looked at him and asked:

"Kwabena, do you have… romantic pheromones?"

Now, Kwabena only marks assignments in public, wears hoodies, and refuses to take any script

with a heart drawn on the corner.

As he tells other new TAs:

"Listen, Maths won't break your heart. But some students will try. Stick to X and Y not X-rated

surprises."