With WASSCE exam malpractice rate of 14.8% recorded per Africa Education Watch data on the 2025 WASSCE, and the 2026 examination underway, the Think Tank is calling for the removal of school heads where over 50 percent of candidates are engaged in examination malpractice. They argued that lack of sanctions for these heads play a significant role in fueling impunity and is therefore pushing for a new accountability system within the Ghana Education Service.

Speaking at a news conference in Accra, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare revealed that examination malpractice in Ghana increased from 10 percent in 2024 to 14.8 percent in 2025, adding that of the 14.8 percent, 99 percent occurred in the examination room, which he referred to as examination room collusion between invigilators and students.

He further stated that as the nation prepares to join other West African countries to take the 2026 WASSCE, no school head has been sanctioned. This he described as worrying as Ghana could be headed towards a 20 percent examination malpractice in 2026, if we continue not to demand accountability.  He therefore called on the Ministry of Education to crack the whip on school heads who recorded significant examination malpractice in their schools.

On the just ended teacher recruitment exercise, the Africa Education Watch is calling for transparency in the recruitment and deployment of teachers.

“ The GES today, pursuant to this must publish a teacher posting plan, indicating the quotas being distributed to all teacher deprived Districts who are receiving the 7000 teachers”, he said.

This, they say will ensure the Civil Society and media monitoring of efficiency at the district level, provide feedback to the Ministry for effective implementation.

This was contained in the 2026 Eduwatch 1st Quarter Policy Monitoring Report, presented at a news conference in Accra.

Why Students engage in examination malpractice

Examination malpractice is a serious canker within the education system here in Ghana. Every year, the West Africa Examination Council, (WAEC) reports of significant examination malpractice which normally results in withholding of papers and cancellation of papers.

The common reason students engage in examination malpractice is inadequate preparation for the examination. Most students do not prepare very well for the examination, and so would find themselves in the examination halls engaging in all forms of examination malpractice. Again, students engage in examination malpractice due to weak supervision, which leaves room for students to copy, use foreign materials and even impersonate candidates. This has been the headache of WAEC as it tries to nib this canker in the bud.

How WAEC Can Deal with Examination Malpractice

The West Africa Examination Council has over the years been implementing systems to address this issue, the latest being the serialization of questions for candidates. However, more can be done to tackle this menace.

One of such way is to ensure that teachers or invigilators do not invigilate in schools they teach. In most cases, teachers invigilate in schools where they teach with little or no supervision from external invigilators. This creates a system where these teachers are likely to help their students engage in examination malpractice in a bid to pass their exams. Assigning teachers to centers other than where they teach is likely to significantly strengthen effective supervision. Stringent measures must also be put in place to severely deal with invigilators who aid students to engage in this act.

Again, WAEC should deploy modern technology to compact this menace. The deployment of modern technology, such as CCTV will go a long way to help curb examination malpractice in examination halls. This will ensure the effective monitoring of candidates and ensure that they do not engage in any form of exam malpractice.

How Students Can Avoid the Temptation of Examination Malpractice

The students ought to know, that WAEC will not examine them on anything beyond what is being taught in the curriculum in their schools. The onus therefore, lies on them to adequately prepare for the examination by taking their academic studies very serious. They should know that they can pass without engaging in malpractice, and that will only happen when they prepare adequately by taking their studies serious. When a candidate is well prepared for an examination, examination malpractice is never an option.