A shocking investigation by JoyNews has exposed widespread collusion between some Ghana Education Service (GES) officials and invigilators, who accepted as little as GH¢60 to enable cheating during the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The findings, detailed in the GH Probe documentary Dark World of BECE by investigative journalist Francisca Enchill, reveal a deeply organized system of malpractice that threatens the integrity of Ghana’s education system.
The exposé, set to air in full on September 8, 2025, on JoyNews’ AM Show, Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, and Joy Prime’s Prime Morning, uncovered disturbing practices at examination centers like Derby Avenue RC Basic School in Accra. Investigators found that invigilators were paid GH¢60 daily to ignore candidates smuggling mobile phones into exam halls, using AI tools like ChatGPT, and receiving solved questions directly from officials. At St. George’s Anglican, supervisors distributed envelopes containing GH¢400 to invigilators, while candidates were instructed to make daily payments, culminating in an “Aseda Offertory” of at least GH¢5 per student, with proceeds shared among invigilators.
John Kapi, Head of Public Affairs at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), condemned the practice, stating, “Any payment made in the course of the examination to an invigilator or supervisor is illegal. WAEC does not pay money during the examination. We don’t do that.” The investigation revealed a sophisticated operation where invigilators dictated answers, circulated handwritten and printed solutions, and collected evidence before candidates left the halls, with supervisors acting as lookouts to evade WAEC and National Security officials.
The revelations have sparked alarm among civil society groups. Kofi Asare of Africa Education Watch warned, “We’re teaching children corruption in basic schools. Corruption 101 begins here. They grow up to normalize it, producing corrupt citizens and professionals.” Acting GES Director-General Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis vowed zero tolerance, stating, “We cannot work with staff who cheat. Why keep someone who carries questions to students in an exam hall instead of teaching them in class? Nobody wants to be operated on by a doctor who cheated their way through. We must stop this.”
WAEC reported 43 arrests nationwide during the 2025 BECE for malpractices involving supervisors, teachers, and administrators. The council noted that with adequate resources, it could recruit higher-integrity invigilators to curb the issue. The findings echo a 2024 WAEC report that cancelled results for 3,647 candidates and withheld results for 2,714 others due to malpractices, highlighting a persistent challenge in Ghana’s examination system.
