The 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), which began on Wednesday, June 11, with over 600,000 candidates nationwide, has already recorded 10 cases of examination malpractice, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has revealed.
All suspects have been handed over to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.
Examination irregularities have long plagued both the BECE and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with common offences including collusion, possession of unauthorised materials, and impersonation. These infractions can lead to severe penalties such as cancellation or withholding of results pending investigations.
Speaking on the AM Show on JoyNews, WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, gave a breakdown of the recent incidents.
“These 10 culprits have been handed over to law enforcement agencies. Their actions are criminal under WAEC law, and the police will now proceed to prosecute them in court,” he stated.
He disclosed that one supervisor was found with a mobile phone containing images of exam questions, which he had shared on social media. Additionally, six invigilators were caught with mobile phones containing pictures of exam questions.
“There was also a woman, who claimed to be a fashion designer, caught with photocopied answers intended for distribution to candidates,” Mr. Kapi revealed.
Among those implicated were a student nurse and an administrator of a private school.
WAEC officials acted swiftly to arrest individuals attempting to solve questions and pass the answers to candidates during the exams. Mr. Kapi noted that investigations are still ongoing, and reports from several centres are yet to be received.
Efforts to tighten security around the exams were also outlined. Mr. Kapi said he had contacted the National Investigations Bureau in the Ahafo Region to share details of known malpractice hotspots.
“They assured me that personnel would be deployed to those areas to maintain order,” he said.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has also dispatched officials to monitor examination centres across the country.
“Our own personnel are out there too, and we believe this increased presence will deter anyone considering engaging in malpractice,” Mr. Kapi concluded.
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