The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has expressed deep concern over coordinated cheating schemes, some reportedly involving entire schools in premeditated exam malpractice.
According to the Council, such unethical practices, often facilitated by students, school authorities, and even trusted stakeholders, pose a serious threat to the credibility and integrity of the examination process.
At a regional stakeholder meeting in Cape Coast, officials described the trend as a threat to both educational integrity and national stability and called for a unified front to combat examination malpractice.
WAEC’s Head of Humanities, Mr. Daniel Nii Dodoo, revealed that despite intensified measures, the problem has reached alarming levels.
He said widespread malpractice undermines honest students, devalues our certificates, and could even lead to social unrest.
“This challenge,” he said, “goes beyond the classroom. It undermines our educational system, threatens national development, and weakens our security framework. We must treat it as the national crisis it has become.”
Over the past five years, WAEC has recorded staggering levels of malpractice. In 2023 alone, over 587,000 subject results were withheld, and more than 59,000 results were cancelled outright. The year before, over 382,000 results were flagged for irregularities.
“These numbers are not just statistics, they represent a deep and dangerous erosion of academic integrity,” Mr. Dodoo said.
He outlined a range of national security implications stemming from this crisis, including the production of underqualified graduates, infiltration of public institutions by unqualified personnel, a rise in youth disillusionment, and the spread of extremist ideologies.
“If individuals can ascend to power or secure jobs through fraudulent means, we compromise the integrity of governance, this is not only a threat to the credibility of our education system but to democracy itself, ” he noted.
Mr. Dodoo warned that Ghana’s international reputation is also at risk, with increasing levels of malpractice potentially discouraging foreign investment and academic collaboration.
He expressed concern that some WAEC staff had faced threats and intimidation in the line of duty.
“The examining body is under siege, those tasked with safeguarding our academic standards are being targeted. We must protect them if we are to protect the system.” he said.
Calling for a whole-of-society response, Mr. Dodoo emphasized that the fight against examination malpractice cannot be left to WAEC alone.
“Government, parents, schools, religious institutions, traditional leaders, security agencies, and even students themselves all have a role to play,” he said.
Among those with critical roles, he cited the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), school supervisors, and teacher unions, who he said must lead with integrity and model ethical behaviour.
The media, he added, must continue to highlight the consequences of malpractice and hold institutions accountable.
“The media must not only report the scandals, but help shape a national culture of integrity,” he urged.
He also urged religious leaders and traditional authorities to use their platforms to promote honesty among young people.
“If we want students to reject cheating, they must hear it from every voice of moral authority,” he said.
Mr. Dodoo called on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education to strengthen oversight, ensure timely funding for WAEC operations, and support the implementation of stricter penalties for offenders.
He also appealed to security agencies and the judiciary to take exam fraud seriously and pursue those who facilitate or profit from it.
“This is organized crime,” he stated bluntly. “It involves networks, coercion, and corruption. It must be investigated and prosecuted accordingly.”
To counter the growing menace, he outlined a multi-pronged mitigation strategy, including Strengthening regulatory frameworks with harsher sanctions; Promoting ethical education in early schooling; Leveraging technology, such as biometric verification and item randomization; Rewarding whistleblowers who report malpractice; and Accrediting NGOs to help monitor exam centers.
“Our goal,” he said, “is to restore public confidence in examinations and ensure that every certificate issued in this country is backed by merit, not manipulation.”
The Council’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr. John Kapi, revealed alarming tactics used by cheating syndicates, including answer projection, mobile device smuggling, impersonation, and even individuals hiding in ceilings during examinations.
According to him, these are not random acts but rather they are increasingly coordinated, with collaborators using money, external materials, and syndicates to undermine the system.
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Central Regional Director of Ghana Education Service, Mr. Emmanuel Essuman, chairman for the meeting sounded the alarm on the deepening crisis of examination malpractice in the region, warning that the integrity of the country’s education system is at serious risk if urgent and collective action is not taken.
He described the current wave of exam-related misconduct as “a systemic issue involving multiple actors,” including some parents, teachers, invigilators, and even members of the security services.
Mr. Essuman indicated that it is a shared commitment to safeguarding the integrity of examinations in our region.
“WASCE and BECE are not just academic events, they are life-defining moments for our students,” he said.
Drawing from his own monitoring experiences across districts, the Director detailed how some parents and community members actively pay for leaked questions, commonly referred to as ‘APO’,from unscrupulous sources in a desperate bid to secure good grades for their children.
“Driven by anxiety over their children’s performance, some parents are resorting to unethical methods. In some cases, community members even set up illegal ‘adopt centres’ in remote areas, including cocoa forest zones, where organized cheating is facilitated,” he disclosed.
According to him, individuals have been seen fleeing into the bush upon the arrival of monitoring teams.
In other instances, students have been caught smuggling unauthorized materials into examination halls, aided by supervisors and invigilators who had allegedly pre-arranged financial deals with school heads.
“I have witnessed students dressed as if going to war, with jackets and multiple hidden pockets, to smuggle in materials. In one shocking case, a school director was targeted and threatened for reporting malpractice. They even broke into his room and left knives on his bed, a clear warning,” he said gravely.
The Director lamented that despite the presence of security personnel at some centres, malpractice persists, with some officers allegedly complicit in the misconduct.
“This is not just a WAEC issue. It is our collective responsibility, community leaders, directors, parents, and all of us, to reinforce ethical standards and ensure that students succeed through honest effort,” he stressed.
The Director further emphasized the importance of professional conduct among exam officers and supervisors, noting that some invigilators demand fees from schools in exchange for turning a blind eye during exams.
Source: Anthony Sasu Ayisadu/ATLFMNEWS
