Bono, Bono East, Ahafo regions top in examination malpractices – WAEC

 The West African Exam­inations Council (WAEC) says the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions recorded the highest number of examination malpractices for the 2023 exam­ination.

According to the council in 2023, the three regions cumula­tively had 18,504 involved in the various forms of examination malpractices.

“Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions had the highest number of candidates involved in malpractice in 2023, these critical areas require immedi­ate attention, given their rising trends in malpractice involve­ment,” The head of Humanities and Test Development Division, WAEC, Mr Daniel Nii Dodoo, revealed.

Giving an overview of the examination malpractices in the country at a stakeholders’ forum in Accra on Thursday, he said Ashanti region “remains a focal point for intervention due to its high number of malpractice cases as well.

He noted that, the region has showed a significant malprac­tice cases of 17,633 candidates involved in malpractices in the year 2023.

Mr Dodoo noted that al­though the Central Region had relatively lower examination mal­practice rates, the recent increase in percentages warrants proactive action.

Again, he stated that WAEC’s data indicated significant upward trends in malpractice incidents over a three-year period, highlight­ing an escalating issue.

Furthermore, Mr Dodoo

asserted that there was a need to confront the pervasive nature of this malpractice and its serious implications for national security.

He said the reality of exam­ination malpractice was a glaring truth that had infiltrated the country’s educational system and demanded an urgent attention.

“Examination malpractice encompasses any unethical behaviour aimed at securing an unfair advantage during assess­ments,” he added.

Alarmingly, he mentioned that examination malpractice had been escalating in West Africa, driven by a complex interplay of socio-economic pressures, a pervasive culture of impunity, and weak regulatory frameworks.

The Head of National Office, WAEC, Dr Rosemond Wilson, stated that the meeting aimed to translate discussions into collec­tive action to tackle exam malprac­tice, which threatens the integrity of exams, devalues certificates, compromises academic standards, and harms students’ futures.

She said stakeholders had the capacity to combine forces with the council to collectively combat the menace.

The forum brought together officials from the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, representatives of Con­ference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Regional Supervisors and among others to seek solutions to the challenge of examination mal­practices.