The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has confirmed that more than 15 individuals have so far been arrested for engaging in various examination malpractices in the ongoing 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The offenses, according to the Council, range from the possession and use of mobile phones by candidates during papers, impersonation, collusion, and the leaking of exam materials on social media platforms. Some teachers and invigilators have also been implicated, with a number of them already facing legal consequences.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, the Director of Public Affairs at WAEC, Mr. John Kapi, explained that some invigilators who were caught aiding candidates have been handed over to the police, with a few already sentenced to six months in prison.
At the Adventist Day Senior High School centre in Kumasi, WAEC officials retrieved as many as 64 mobile phones from candidates during the elective mathematics paper. Following the incident, the centre was shut down and candidates were relocated to the WAEC regional office to continue with the examinations.
Several cases of impersonation have also been recorded. At Kasoa, two impersonators were arrested and sentenced to six months each in prison, while their accomplice received an eight-month jail term.
In Abura Dunkwa, one Ebenazer Fynn was picked up for impersonation and is currently under investigation. At Abbott College in Asante Bekwai, Mr. Kodua Desmond was apprehended, arraigned, and remanded into police custody for two weeks.
In another incident, the proprietor of Christian School in Kukurantumi, together with a teacher, was arrested for creating a WhatsApp group to share exam questions and solutions with students. Elsewhere, at King James SHS, Mr. Enes Frimpong, an invigilator, was found in possession of a mobile phone containing snapshots of exam questions and answers.
The malpractice reports cut across various schools nationwide, including Yeji Senior High School, Atwima Kwanwoma Presbyterian SHS, and Verbose Royal SHS, among others. A number of impersonators, including Mumuni Abdul Aziz, managed to escape before WAEC’s monitoring team could apprehend them.
Mr. Kapi further revealed that a former national service person, Patrick Essel, was arrested for aiding a candidate at a private senior high school to copy solutions from his phone.
Subsequent investigations showed that the solutions were distributed on a platform managed by an assistant supervisor, Michael Boating, who has since also been arrested.
“Virtually every day we are receiving new reports of irregularities. We have not yet completed the summation of all the cases, but once the examination period ends, we will release the full details,” Mr. Kapi said.
“The entries of all implicated candidates will be nullified, and no results will be released to them. Those who have engaged in criminal activity are being pursued by the police, and the law will take its course.”
Despite the rising number of malpractice cases, WAEC assured the public that the exams are being conducted without any security threats.
According to Mr. Kapi, reports from conflict-prone areas remain positive, and candidates are writing in a safe and conducive environment.
He condemned the increasing acts of dishonesty involving students, teachers, and invigilators, describing them as a threat to the integrity of Ghana’s education system.
He reiterated WAEC’s commitment to applying strict sanctions, stressing that the credibility of the examinations would not be compromised.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
