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A JoyNews investigative documentary has uncovered shocking details of collusion between some Ghana Education Service (GES) officials, invigilators, and candidates during the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).
The documentary, titled *Dark World of BECE* and produced by investigative journalist Francisca Enchill, revealed that invigilators accepted as little as GH¢60 daily to allow candidates to cheat. At Derby Avenue RC Basic School in Accra, invigilators reportedly permitted students to smuggle mobile phones into exam halls, use artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, and even receive solved questions directly from officials.
At St. George’s Anglican, the probe found that supervisors distributed envelopes containing GH¢400 to invigilators, while students were instructed to make daily payments. By the end of the exams, invigilators introduced an “Aseda Offertory,” where candidates contributed at least GH¢5 each as appreciation, with the pooled funds shared among supervisors.
The investigation also revealed that invigilators dictated answers, circulated handwritten and printed solutions, and collected the evidence before candidates left the halls. Supervisors allegedly acted as lookouts to prevent detection by WAEC and National Security officials.
John Kapi, Head of Public Affairs at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), condemned the revelations, stressing that 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. WAEC does not pay money in the course of the examination. We don’t do that,” he said.
Civil society organisations have raised concerns over the long-term impact, warning that such practices normalize corruption from an early age.
“We’re teaching children corruption in basic schools. Corruption 101 begins here. They grow up to normalise it, producing corrupt citizens and professionals,” said Kofi Asare of Africa Education Watch.
Responding to the exposé, Acting Director-General of GES, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, vowed to take strict action against implicated staff.
“We cannot work with staff who cheat. Why keep someone who carries questions to students in an exam hall instead of teaching them in class? Nobody wants to be operated on by a doctor who cheated their way through. We must stop this,” he stressed.
In 2025, WAEC reported 43 arrests nationwide for examination malpractices involving supervisors, teachers, and administrators. The Council noted that with adequate resources, it could recruit invigilators with higher integrity to safeguard the integrity of examinations.
