The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has reported a surge in cases of examination malpractice in the ongoing 2025 WASSCE, with more than 15 people, including students, teachers, and invigilators, arrested across the country.
According to the Council, the violations range from impersonation and collusion to the smuggling of mobile phones into exam halls and the circulation of leaked materials on social media. Some of the culprits have already been convicted and handed jail terms.
At a press briefing in Accra, WAEC’s Director of Public Affairs, John Kapi, revealed that several invigilators were caught aiding candidates and turned over to the police.
“Virtually every day, we are receiving new reports of irregularities,” he noted, adding that some invigilators have already been sentenced to six months in prison.
One of the most alarming incidents was recorded at Adventist Day Senior High School in Kumasi, where officials seized 64 mobile phones from candidates during the elective mathematics paper. The center was immediately shut down, and candidates were relocated to WAEC’s regional office.
Across the country, impersonation cases continue to surface. At Kasoa, two suspects were jailed six months each, while their accomplice received an eight-month sentence.
At Abura Dunkwa, a candidate named Ebenazer Fynn was arrested for impersonation and is under investigation. Another suspect, Mr. Kodua Desmond of Abbott College in Asante Bekwai, has been remanded in police custody.
In Kukurantumi, a school proprietor and a teacher were picked up for allegedly creating a WhatsApp group to distribute leaked questions and answers. Meanwhile, at King James SHS, an invigilator, Enes Frimpong, was found with a phone loaded with exam materials.
Other schools implicated in the malpractice scandal include Yeji Senior High School, Atwima Kwanwoma Presbyterian SHS, and Verbose Royal SHS. In some cases, suspects managed to flee before WAEC monitoring teams arrived.
Mr. Kapi also disclosed that a former national service person, Patrick Essel, was arrested after being caught helping a candidate with answers from his phone. Further investigations linked the material to an assistant supervisor, Michael Boating, who has since also been arrested.
WAEC has vowed to apply tough sanctions, including canceling the entries of all implicated candidates. “Those who have engaged in criminal activity are being pursued by the police, and the law will take its course,” Mr. Kapi stressed.
