The ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School and Private Candidates in West Africa has been rocked by a series of cheating incidents, leading to the arrest of over nine individuals across various examination centers.
According to the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), the examination body had conducted briefing sessions with District Directors of Education and Supervisors before the exams, emphasizing the prohibition of mobile phones in the examination centers. However, some individuals disregarded these instructions, prompting their apprehension by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and WAEC’s locally recruited agents.
The persons arrested and the centres where they were arrested are as follows:
1. Save our Souls Educational Centre, Bekwai; three teachers were picked up for trying to assist the candidates. They are Patience Serwaah, Oscar Ben Azumah, and Thomas Gyimadu. Other persons who unrelated to the examination but came around attempting to assist the candidates are Christian Osei and Kyei Baffour Alex.
2. Jinijini Senior High School Centre. Two invigilators were apprehended for taking snapshots of the English Language question papers and posting them on a WhatsApp platform named‘Koraso Ma JHS’
3. Nkoranza Senior High School. An invigilator, Abeam Danso, was arrested with a mobile phone on which were answers to the Religious and Moral Education Questions
4. Chemu Senior High School, Tema. A teacher, Amoako Joseph, was arrested for taking pictures of the question papers and posting on a platform named ‘Apor Lord for BECE, 2024’
5. Liberty Hills School centre, an invigilator, Faaweerie Patrick, was arrested for taking pictures of the Science paper and handed over to the police.
6. Jachie Pramso SHS centre in the Ashanti Region, an invigilator, Danso Emmanuel had a phone on him in the examination while Mensah Emmanuel (invigilator) had pieces of paper on which were answers to the questions of the English Language paper.
7. Santoe Basic School centre, teachers from DESVY International School were found on their school bus solving the Science questions for onward transmission to their students in the examination hall. They are;Thomas Ativor,37, a Twi language teacher, Emmanuel Ammisah, 47, a mathematics teacher, Edwin Goodluck, 39, a Science teacher and Richard Boateng, 32, a Computing teacher.
They have all been reported to the police and are being processed for court.
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Story by: Cindy Selasi Humade | univers.ug.edu.gh
