We’ll prosecute BECE malpractice teachers and invigilators – WAEC

Per our rules, the possession of question papers in the course of the examination is against the West African Examinations Council law, and so these persons are going to be processed and taken to court, and they’ll be prosecuted, a spokesman for WAEC has said.

Speaking on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning, the Head of Public Affairs of WAEC, John K. Kapi, said his outfit is compiling a list of teachers who are still actively engaged in the conduct to be submitted to the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) for action to be taken against them.

As to why people are still indulging in the act even though it violates the Examinations Council’s regulations, the spokesperson said, “It is an attitudinal problem where some people think that they can do this and get away with it.”

The WAEC official in the interview said he suspects that the assigned supervisors may not have effectively enforced the regulations for the invigilators before the start of the national examination which commenced on Monday, July 8, 2024.

Mr Kapi stated that the Council has received approximately 65% of the funds from the government to commence the exercise, with measures being put in place for the release of the remaining balance to climax the process.

“Whatever we received is between 60 and 65 percent. As I speak, plans are afoot for the government to release the rest of the money to us to be able to complete the process and release results at the appropriate time,” John Kapi said.

In related news, Deputy Ranking Member of the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr Clement Apaak, has called on WAEC to take action against teachers involved in examination malpractices during the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Dr Clement Apaak’s call comes after the not-for-profit-making organization in a press statement sighted by Thisterm.com said 18 teachers from across the country were arrested for violating the rules governing the ongoing BECE.

“It is a lot more worrying because it is coming from teachers because if they had done what they ought to do, and many of do, and they have properly prepared their students, this will be the case where teachers who were apprehended are teachers of that school. And they ought not to try to find these unorthodox ways of giving their students a leg up,” he said speaking on JoyNews AM Show.

A total of 569,095 candidates representing 282,648 males and 286,447 females from 19,506 private and public Junior High Schools will sit for the BECE for School to start on Monday, July 8, and next Monday, July 15, 2024.

Regarding BECE for Private Candidates, the West African Examinations Council in a statement sighted by Thisterm.com said about 1,366 candidates, comprising 735 males and 631 females are expected to participate in the examination.

A total of 2,123 supervisors, 1,889 assistant supervisors and 19,973 invigilators according to the Examinations Council have been engaged to ensure the smooth conduct of the BECE for School to be held in 2,123 centres nationwide.

For the national examination for Private Candidates, the not-for-profit-making organization said fifteen (15) centres, mainly in the regional capitals.