According to reports, more than 20 people were detained for impersonation during the current West Africa Senior Schools Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) describes the situation as tense, and if found guilty, these people might spend three months in jail.
The examination authority for the WASSCE in 2022 outlined measures to reduce examination fraud.
Nevertheless, a number of test irregularities, such as those who covertly impersonate candidates, have occurred in the ongoing WASSCE due to advancements in high-level technology.
On Friday, September 16, Head of Exams at WAEC George Ohene Mantey stressed that impersonation is a common practice in private institutions when speaking to the media in Accra.
He emphasized that every report the Council has seen disparages private schools without mentioning a single instance from the public schools.
“So far, what we have recorded for school exams over the years comes from the private schools; we are yet to receive any report for impersonation from a public school.
“If you are a proprietor or headmaster and somebody comes to write the exams in your school and after strict scrutiny or interrogation, the person is arrested you must be able to identify the person but most at times they fail to assist the Council for further investigations,” he stated.
In a similar vein, he claimed that syndicated exam cheating—that is, the practice in which school administrators raise funds and help students cheat by answering exam questions for them—is also common in private schools.
He also noted how some institutions pay enormous sums of money to purportedly persuade monitors and invigilators to compromise.
Regarding punitive measures, Mr. Ohene Mantey stated that schools involved in exam malpractice would face sanctions, and centers associated with schools proven to have encouraged impersonation would have their centers withdrawn.
According to him, those who have been detained for impersonation in the current WASSCE at various private schools will be subjected to the full force of the law as a deterrent.
He did point out that the Council had issued warning letters to 34 schools as a result of a tip-off and reports from intelligence sources concerning plans to support candidates in engaging in test fraud.
