Examination malpractice: WAEC to release all results by February 28

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says all cases of malpractice being investigated will be finalized and the results released by February 28, 2025.

“The Council wishes to assure its numerous publics that it is working assiduously to ensure that no candidate is cheated or unduly disadvantaged,” it said. Mr. John K. Kapi, the Head of Public Affairs, WAEC, said this at a press conference in Accra on Friday to address issues surrounding the withholding of the results of over 10,500 candidates in the 2024 West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

WAEC, on December 30, 2024, released the provisional results of candidates who sat for the WASSCE. A total of 460,611 candidates, drawn from 1,003 schools, sat for the examination. Mr. Kapi said the Council recorded a number of irregularities during the examination. These ranged from bringing foreign materials into examination halls, snapping and posting of questions on social media, distribution of photocopied responses to candidates, and invigilators assisting candidates in the examination halls.

He said the Council reported a number of cases, which were criminal in nature to the police. “Following the completion of investigations into these malpractices, the council upon approval by the Ghana Examination Committee, took the following actions,” Mr. Kapi said.

“”WAEC cancelled the subject results of 4,108 candidates for bringing foreign materials into the examination hall. Entire results of 483 candidates were cancelled for possession of mobile phones in examination halls.” It withheld subject results of 781 candidates and withheld the entire results of 209 candidates for “various suspected offences”. Subject results of candidates from 319 schools were also withheld.

The withholding of results came as a result of reports made by examiners who, in the course of marking the script, discovered some alleged instances of collusion. Mr. Kapi said WAEC had procedures of dealing with withheld results, which included writing to the heads of schools affected, inviting candidates to write statements in response to alleged malpractices, and candidates and their parents were asked to respond to allegations against them. “Based on the findings of these hearings, the Council will announce a final decision on the status of the results of the affected candidates,” he said.

“The Council does not take decisions arbitrarily. We wish to bring to the notice of parents, guardians and indeed all stakeholders that the Council works within a body of rules.” He said candidates who failed to honor WAEC’s invitation to respond to allegations of malpractice waived their rights to be heard and WAEC would take appropriate actions against them. Mr. Kapi said the increase in malpractice cases in the Council’s examinations was alarming.

“We would like to stress that the fight against this menace is a collective one. Parents, guardians, the media and indeed all stakeholders should speak boldly against the menace in order to give our examination the credibility it deserves and ensure that certificates are awarded to people who truly deserve them.”

He said the Council would be elated to provide CCTV in all examination centers if it received a boost in its budgetary allocation. On the court case, Mr. Kapi said the Council had filed a stay of execution in respect of a High Court ruling ordering the WAEC to release results of over 10,500 candidates. Mr. Victor Brew, the Head of Legal, told journalists that the Council’s stay of execution pending an appeal would be heard at the High Court on February 20, 2025.

Source: GNA