16 Arrested, 64 Phones Seized During The 2025 WASSCE
According to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), examination malpractice has escalated significantly, with cases of impersonation, unauthorized mobile phone use, and the sharing of exam questions and answers discovered by monitoring teams. Despite measures by WAEC and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to curb such practices, the integrity of the examination process has been undermined.
At a press briefing, WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, revealed that 16 people had been arrested at various exam centres. He highlighted that during the Elective Mathematics paper, 64 mobile phones were seized from candidates at a single school.
The irregularities uncovered include impersonation of candidates, use of mobile phones to access answers online, and collaboration among invigilators to share questions and solutions through digital platforms. Arrests involved individuals at Ghana College in Kasoa, where two impersonators received six-month prison sentences, while their accomplice received an eight-month sentence. At Christian IPS in Kukurantumi, a proprietor and an invigilator were caught running a WhatsApp group to share leaked exam questions and are under police investigation. Other candidates at schools such as St. Vincent College and Yeji Senior High School were also implicated, with some managing to evade capture.
WAEC has vowed strict action against all individuals and schools involved. Affected candidates’ scripts will undergo further scrutiny, while investigations continue. The council also confirmed that withheld BECE results are under review to determine outcomes for candidates suspected of collusion.
The 2025 WASSCE-SC, which began on August 5, will end on September 19, with 461,640 candidates from 1,021 schools participating. Meanwhile, 603,328 candidates sat for the BECE between June 11 and June 18, with provisional results released on August 23.