The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has apprehended 19 supervisors and invigilators across six regions for their alleged involvement in examination malpractice during the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Out of the number, 10 were arrested in the Ashanti Region, three in the Eastern Region, and two each in the Bono and Central regions. The Greater Accra and Western regions recorded one arrest each.
The two suspects in the Bono Region have already been prosecuted and fined GH¢2,400 each.
A source at WAEC told Graphic Online’s Education Editor, Severious Kale Dery, that the remaining suspects had been handed over to the police for further processing and possible prosecution.
Caution
Following the developments, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has cautioned all stakeholders involved in the conduct of the 2026 BECE against engaging in any form of examination malpractice.
Addressing candidates, teachers, heads of schools, invigilators and supervisors, he noted that despite repeated warnings, “some unscrupulous persons have decided to do otherwise.”
“It has, therefore, become necessary for the Ministry to reiterate the Minister’s warning. We are of the firm conviction that any individual complicit in examination malpractice is an enemy of the state and would be dealt with ruthlessly,” a statement signed by the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, said.
Enemy of the state
The statement warned that any candidate found cheating — whether through possession of unauthorised materials, collusion or seeking external assistance — risked having his or her results cancelled.
“Teachers, invigilators, supervisors and school authorities who aid, abet or ignore malpractice will face severe consequences, including dismissal, interdiction and possible prosecution. Professional misconduct during national examinations will not be excused.
“Our resolve to boldly address the dangerous phenomenon of examination malpractice is an affirmation of the government’s firm commitment to protecting the integrity of national examinations, and any malpractice will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the statement stressed.
Previous cases
The ministry also reminded those seeking to compromise the integrity of national examinations to take lessons from last year’s incidents.
According to the statement, of the 40 persons arrested for facilitating examination malpractice in 2025, eight had been convicted and sentenced, while 32 others were still undergoing legal processes before the courts.
It added that the eight convicted individuals had automatically lost their jobs, “because they are unfit to be teachers and will be taken off the payroll of the Ghana Education Service, as announced by the Minister for Education”.
The statement further indicated that the ministry, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), WAEC and the security agencies, had deployed strict monitoring and enforcement measures across all 2,303 examination centres nationwide.
“Any attempt to compromise the integrity of the 2026 BECE will attract immediate and severe sanctions. We take this opportunity to again wish the candidates the best of luck,” the statement concluded.
