The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and other security agencies have arrested dozens of candidates for cheating in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). WAEC head of public affairs John K. Kapi said the council has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for cheating.
During a press conference, Kapi revealed that 86 candidates were caught using mobile phones at Otoo Memorial Senior High School in Bibiani. Some students were also found with smartwatches, which they used to cheat. Kapi warned that any candidate caught using mobile devices in the exam hall will have their papers canceled in full.
Kapi said the council has evidence that some school heads took pictures of question papers while transporting them from the depot to exam centers. WAEC is investigating how the question paper packets were opened in the vehicle. Kapi described this trend as very worrying and undermining of the exam's integrity.
Some schools have devised elaborate cheating schemes in exam centers, Kapi said. Reports indicate that some schools charged candidates between GH₵500 to GH₵1,000 to enable them to get assistance during the papers. This has given those candidates a sense of entitlement and they want to be allowed to cheat, according to Kapi.
Kapi criticized some school heads for being antagonistic towards WAEC's monitoring teams. "Some persons have been arrested for attempting to bribe our personnel to turn a blind eye so that the cheating could go on," he said.
WAEC has received reports of impersonation and insertion of scripts. At the Christian Integrated Primary School in Kukurantumi, an impersonator and his accomplice - a teacher - were caught. At Ideal College's Lapaz campus, there was an attempt to insert answer scripts of seven absentee candidates. However, WAEC personnel averted the anomaly and the supervisor has been relieved of his duties pending investigations.
Kapi said syndicated cheating also occurs, with solutions written on whiteboards for candidates to copy and then erased when WAEC inspectors arrive. He acknowledged that WAEC has to make do with available exam venues, some of which are not standardized.
Invigilators were also found with photocopied solutions, which they distributed to candidates in the exam hall. In some cases, solutions were deposited in urinals for candidates to pick up. Those found culpable were apprehended and handed over to the police, Kapi said.
Kapi reiterated that WAEC will spare no effort to ensure sanity prevails in the ongoing exams. He refuted claims of intimidation by WAEC officials who visited exam centers, saying supervisors, invigilators and school proprietors who aid cheating will face disciplinary action from the Ghana Education Service.
Kapi commended the excellent collaboration between WAEC, the Ghana Police Service and the National Intelligence Bureau. He said WAEC's pre-exam activities yielded results as many schools adhered to exam rules.
The WASSCE for school candidates, 2023 started on August 21 at 834 exam centers nationwide and will end on September 26. WAEC will continue to crack down on cheating to preserve the integrity of the exams.
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