GES Officials Took GH¢60 to Aid Cheating in 2025 BECE

A JoyNews investigation has uncovered shocking levels of malpractice in the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), implicating some Ghana Education Service (GES) officials and invigilators in widespread cheating.

The investigative documentary, Dark World of BECE, produced by JoyNews’ Francisca Enchill under the GH Probe series, revealed that officials accepted as little as GH¢60 from candidates and supervisors in exchange for turning a blind eye to exam malpractices.

At Derby Avenue RC Basic School in Accra, invigilators were promised GH¢60 daily to ignore candidates smuggling mobile phones into exam halls, using artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, and receiving pre-solved questions directly from officials.

The probe also discovered that at St. George’s Anglican, supervisors handed out envelopes containing GH¢400 to invigilators, while students themselves were compelled to make daily payments. By the final paper, invigilators introduced an “Aseda Offertory,” where candidates contributed at least GH¢5 each, with the money shared among officials.

“Any payment made to invigilators or supervisors during exams is illegal. WAEC does not provide such payments,” clarified John Kapi, Head of Public Affairs at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The investigation further revealed a well-coordinated network of malpractice: invigilators openly dictated answers, circulated handwritten and printed solutions, and ensured evidence was collected before students left the hall. Supervisors acted as lookouts to prevent WAEC and National Security officials from detecting the fraud.

Education stakeholders have raised concerns about the long-term impact. “We are teaching children corruption right from basic school. This normalises malpractice and produces corrupt citizens and professionals,” warned Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch.

GES Acting Director-General, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, vowed tough action against complicit staff: “We cannot retain teachers who cheat. Why keep someone who carries questions into the exam hall instead of teaching students in class? Nobody wants to be treated by a doctor who cheated their way through.”

WAEC reported 43 arrests nationwide during the 2025 BECE, involving supervisors, teachers, and administrators. The Council stressed that with adequate resources, it could recruit invigilators of higher integrity to curb the menace.