KEY POINTS
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Investigators exposed systemic corruption in BECE malpractice.
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Some GES officials took GH¢60 bribes to aid cheating.
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Civil groups warn BECE malpractice normalizes corruption in youth.
An undercover investigation by JoyNews has exposed a network of corruption involving officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES), invigilators, and supervisors in the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE). The findings suggest that some officials accepted as little as GH¢60 to allow candidates to cheat, highlighting deep flaws in the country’s education system.
Widespread malpractice in BECE examinations
The revelations are part of a JoyNews Hotline documentary titled Dark World of BECE, produced by investigative journalist Francisca Enchill. At the Derby Avenue RC Basic School in Accra, investigators uncovered that invigilators were promised GH¢60 daily to ignore malpractice, including candidates smuggling phones into exam halls, using artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, and receiving pre-solved questions directly from officials.
At St. George’s Anglican, supervisors reportedly handed envelopes containing GH¢400 to invigilators, while students were directed to make daily payments. By the final paper, invigilators had introduced what they called an “Aseda Offertory,” where students contributed at least GH¢5 each, with the pooled money shared among supervisors and invigilators.
“Any payment that is made in the course of the examination to an invigilator or supervisor is illegal. It is not coming from WAEC,” said John Kapi, Head of Public Affairs at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The probe found malpractice was carefully organized: invigilators dictated answers, circulated handwritten or printed solutions, and collected all evidence before candidates left the hall. Supervisors even acted as lookouts against WAEC and National Security officials to prevent detection.
Calls for accountability in BECE malpractice
Civil society groups have raised alarm that this culture of cheating normalizes corruption from an early age. “We’re teaching children corruption in basic schools. Corruption 101 begins here,” said Kofi Asare of Africa Education Watch. “They grow up to normalise it, producing corrupt citizens and professionals.”
According to MyJoyOnline, GES Acting Director-General Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis warned that staff caught aiding malpractice would face dismissal. “We cannot work with staff who cheat,” he said. “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.”
WAEC reported 43 arrests nationwide in 2025 for exam malpractices, including supervisors, teachers, and administrators. The council said with more resources, it could recruit invigilators with higher integrity to reduce the menace.
The full documentary will air on Monday, September 8, 2025, across JoyNews, Joy FM, and Joy Prime platforms.
