Wesley SHS Students Riot Over Strict WASSCE Invigilation, Damage School Property
Chaos erupted at Wesley Senior High School in Konongo, Ashanti Region, on September 7, 2025, during the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), when students rioted over strict invigilation measures that prevented cheating during the Christian Religious Studies (CRS) exam.
Frustrated by their teachers’ enforcement of exam rules, students pelted educators with stones and sachet water, forcing teachers to flee for safety, with several sustaining injuries.
The violence escalated later that night when students targeted the senior House Mistress’ residence, attacking her apartment with heavy stones that penetrated the kitchen roof and damaged her garden.
The assault was reportedly in retaliation for her role in disallowing cheating during the CRS paper. The Ghana Police Service has launched an investigation into the incident, amid reports of threats of further attacks by the students.
Wesley Senior High School, a Category B institution established in 2005 by the Konongo Wesley Methodist Church and absorbed by the government in 2012, is among the 1,021 schools participating in the 2025 WASSCE, which began on August 5 and will conclude on September 19.
The examination involves 461,640 candidates nationwide, with strict measures by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to curb malpractice, including arrests and phone seizures at other centers.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) and WAEC have yet to issue official statements on the incident, but the event underscores broader challenges with examination integrity in Ghana, as seen in recent reports of 16 arrests and 64 phones confiscated during the WASSCE. Authorities are expected to tighten security at the school to prevent further unrest as the exams continue.
