“Every other teacher who was picked up was handed over to the police… ” – Head of Public Relations, WAEC
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has issued a stern warning regarding the accountability of invigilators who engaged in misconduct during the recently ended West African Examination Certificate Examinations (WASSCE). The examination, which spanned from Monday, August 5, 2024, when the Visual Arts project work was submitted, until its conclusion on Friday, September 20, 2024, unfortunately witnessed instances of exam malpractices. These violations included the illegal distribution of answers to candidates, the illegal introduction of mobile phones into examination halls by both candidates and teachers, as well as the inappropriate use of projectors and boards to display answers for students to copy.
According to John Kapi, the Head of Public Relations at WAEC, some invigilators have already faced penalties for their actions, while others are awaiting legal proceedings. The investigative process is still ongoing, with a commitment to holding accountable anyone found to be involved in these malpractices. “Once we pick up a mobile phone from you, it is an obvious infraction and with that, we cancel the entire results. With those that had the answers projected on the board, it was stopped but you cannot stop the candidate from writing the exam at that particular moment. With those who ran away, we asked the heads of the schools to produce them.”
“Every other teacher who was picked up was handed over to the police. Some have had their cases already adjudicated. They have been charged. Some have paid fines. Others still have their cases in court. Others were remanded, a number of them. For the teachers, immediately they were reported but for the candidates, they are usually allowed to finish their exam and after that, we investigate what happened,” he said.
Furthermore, WAEC expressed its appreciation for the vigilance of stakeholders who reported any attempts to cheat during the examination. This acknowledgment highlights the Council’s dedication to upholding.
