The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has arrested 16 individuals and confiscated 64 mobile phones as part of a crackdown on widespread examination malpractice during the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, which began on August 5 and will conclude on September 19, 2025.
The arrests, involving teachers, students, and invigilators, highlight a troubling rise in cheating that threatens the integrity of Ghana’s examination system.
WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, revealed during a press briefing that monitoring teams uncovered various irregularities, including impersonation, unauthorized use of mobile phones, and sharing of exam questions and answers via digital platforms.
Notably, 64 mobile phones were seized from candidates at Adventist Day Senior High School in Kumasi during the Elective Mathematics paper, leading to the closure of the examination center and the relocation of 936 candidates to WAEC’s regional office for stricter supervision.
Key incidents include the arrest of two impersonators at Ghana College in Kasoa, who were sentenced to six months in prison each, with an accomplice receiving eight months. At Christian IPS in Kukurantumi, a school proprietor and an invigilator were detained for operating a WhatsApp group to share exam questions and solutions. Other arrests occurred at schools like Yeji Senior High School, Abbott College in Asante Bekwai, and St. Vincent College, with some suspects, including one at Yeji, evading capture.
“We condemn these acts of dishonesty on the part of both teachers and candidates and urge all school heads to uphold the trust placed in them,” Kapi stated, emphasizing that WAEC will rigorously sanction schools and individuals undermining the examination process. Results from affected schools face intense scrutiny, and investigations into withheld Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results, released provisionally on August 23, 2025, are ongoing to address suspected collusion.
This year’s WASSCE involves 461,640 candidates—207,381 males and 254,259 females from 1,021 schools—while the BECE, held from June 11 to 18, 2025, saw 603,328 participants. WAEC reiterated its commitment to fostering an honest and fair educational environment, urging stakeholders to collaborate in restoring the integrity of Ghana’s examination system.
