2025 BECE: Ghana Education Service Officials Exposed For Receiving GH¢60 to Aid Exam Cheating
- An investigative report has highlighted examination cheating by some officials during the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE)
- The report noted some invigilators were being bribed with as little as GH¢60 to allow exam cheating
- The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) condemned these incidents in reaction to the revelations
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Some officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES) were caught allegedly collaborating with invigilators to facilitate exam cheating during the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).
A Joy News investigative report indicated that they were receiving as little as GH¢60 as bribes.
Source: Facebook
Adom News reported that one of the schools noted was the Derby Avenue RC Basic School in Accra, where investigators found that invigilators were promised GH¢60 daily to allow students to smuggle mobile phones into the school.
The cheating students were reportedly allowed to use artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT in addition to getting help from teachers.
The report also noted that at St. George’s Anglican school, supervisors distributed envelopes containing GH¢400 to invigilators, while candidates themselves were instructed to make daily payments.
In the same school, students also contributed at least GH¢5 each to be shared among invigilators.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) condemned these incidents. Its Head of Public Affairs said such payments were illegal.
“Any payment that is made in the course of the examination to an invigilator or supervisor is illegal. It is not coming from WAEC."
What other ways were BECE invigilators cheating?
Invigilators were found to be dictating answers, circulating handwritten and printed solutions.
They were sure to collect the evidence before candidates left the halls, according to Joy News.
Supervisors also acted as lookouts against WAEC and National Security officials to hide the cheating.
In 2025, WAEC recorded 43 arrests nationwide for malpractices, including supervisors, teachers and administrators. The Council says that with adequate resources, it could recruit invigilators of higher integrity to curb the menace.
These revelations were contained in a documentary produced by GH Probe investigative journalist Francisca Enchill.
Are the 2025 BECE results out?
The 2025 BECE results were released by the governing examination council on August 23. Over 600,000 candidates from 20,395 schools wrote the examination.
It was also reported that the entire results of 177 BECE candidates had been cancelled.
The subject results of 718 candidates were cancelled, while the entire results of 93 candidates were withheld, and 1,240 candidates had their subject results withheld.
Source: Facebook
The subject results of some candidates from 119 schools were cancelled, and the subject results of some candidates from 87 schools were withheld for further scrutiny.
The withheld results may be cancelled or released by September 6, 2025, based on the outcome of investigations.
The school selection and placement process is currently ongoing.
WAEC shares areas flagged as cheating hotspots
Before the exam, YEN.com.gh reported that WAEC identified areas it considers to be hotspots for examination malpractice.
Daniel Nii Dodoo, Head of Humanities at WAEC's Test Division, said data from recent years point to a growing concentration of malpractices in the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions.
They had the highest number of candidates with malpractice cases at 18,504 in 2023. The Ashanti Region was also named as an area of growing concern.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
