The 'Cheating Squad': How some high school administrators help students cheat in the WASSCE.
An investigation by Corruption Watch uncovered grand schemes in some second-cycle institutions to assist candidates in cheating in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The investigation, which was conducted in Ghana's Ashanti and Bono regions prior to and during the administration of the 2021 WASSCE for School Candidates, revealed that some schools have instituted special levies that they charge students in exchange for assistance in answering examination questions.
Corruption Watch discovered that the said levies are put in a pool and used to compromise teachers and invigilators to solve questions for students in the examination hall at All For Christ Senior High/Technical School and Duadaso Number 1 Senior High/Technical School, both in the Bono Region.
All For Christ Senior High/Technical School also charged extra fees to award unearned continuous assessment marks to unqualified individuals who registered as school candidates in order to retake the WASSCE.
Agnes Norkor Teye-Cudjoe, the West African Examinations Council's (WAEC) head of public affairs, told Corruption Watch that at the All For Christ Senior High/Technical School, WAEC's "investigative team on the ground" discovered and reported some incidents of malpractice. "So we have reports on All for Christ malpractices," she explained.
Mr Owusu Gyaase, the Headmaster of All For Christ Senior High/Technical School, denied charging fees for continuous assessment marks or engaging in examination malpractice in a two-page letter to Corruption Watch.
Mr. Peterson Aning, the headmaster of Duadaso Number 1 Senior High/Technical School, on the other hand, did not respond to our findings despite indicating in a phone call that he would.
The investigation reveals that school officials, teachers, parents, and security personnel are all complicit in school-based schemes that allow students to cheat in exam halls.
Furthermore, the content of some secretly recorded audio-visual materials indicates the involvement of some unidentified top WAEC officials who allegedly assist school authorities in perpetrating malpractices while avoiding sanctions.
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