N/R Educational Directorate commits to combating examination malpractice

By Samuel SAM

The Northern Regional Education Directorate has reiterated its unwavering commitment to combating examination malpractice throughout this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) across the region.

The directorate, in a statement signed by Owusu Frederick, the Northern Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Education Service (GES), on behalf of the Northern Regional Director, Alhassan Alidu Jr., urged the candidates to refrain from examination malpractice in order not to jeopardise their future careers.

“Engaging in malpractice undermines academic credibility, personal integrity and national development, which also goes a long way to affect the future of the candidate who falls victim to the law; hence, our commitment to preparing the candidates and also educating them on the effects of malpractices.

“We have, therefore, encouraged the candidates to remain calm, focused and confident throughout the examination period, and that the examination is an important milestone in their academic journey.”

A total of 37,111 candidates from 808 schools across the region are sitting for the examination, which started on Monday at 132 examination centres.

Out of the total number, 631 are public schools and the remaining 177 are private schools, with a total of 33,329 candidates from the public schools.

The male population constitutes 17,209, while the female constitutes 16,120. On the private schools’ side, 3,782 candidates were registered, comprising 1,817 males and 1,965 females.

The Regional Director of Education, Alhassan Alidu, expressed his wishes to all candidates, urging them to give their best and be assured of success.

“To ensure a smooth and credible examination process, the directorate, in collaboration with the West African Examination Council (WAEC), has deployed 132 supervisors, 130 assistant supervisors and 1,321 invigilators for the centres across the region to curb the malpractices,” he said.

He admonished the candidates to believe in their preparation, trust their abilities and approach each paper with confidence, adding that “success comes through hard work, discipline and honesty”.

Candidates were strongly advised to adhere strictly to examination regulations, avoid all forms of examination malpractice,  reject leaked questions known as ‘apor’ and unauthorised assistance, and demonstrate integrity and discipline, he stressed.

He called on all stakeholders, including parents, teachers, invigilators, security agencies, the media and community leaders, for their support toward ensuring free, fair and transparent examinations.

“To all BECE candidates, believe in yourself, work hard and let integrity lead your path to success,” the statement reiterated.

He noted that the directorate had visited all the centres across the region to ensure that the respective facilities are conducive for candidates ready to sit for the exams.

He noted that any invigilator or candidate in malpractice would be dealt with by the law.

The 2026 BECE National Level

The 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), which began on Monday, May 4 and ends on May 11, 2026, is being written by 620,141 candidates from 20,395 schools nationwide.

Director-General of the GES Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis disclosed before the start of the exams that this figure represents an increase of about 2.7 percent compared to last year, with the candidates comprising 304,349 boys and 315,792 girls.

This year’s examination is being conducted in 2,303 centres across the country, supervised by 2,303 supervisors, supported by 2,070 assistant supervisors and 21,791 invigilators.

These figures demonstrate the resolve to ensure that the conduct of the examination is credible.

Strict sanctions for supervisors and invigilators

The GES boss cautioned supervisors and invigilators to uphold professionalism, warning that anyone found aiding malpractice would face severe sanctions.

“I wish to remind all supervisors and Regional Directors of Education that all teachers and supervisors who were linked to examination malpractice last year and are being processed for sanctions, are banned from the examination centres. They are not expected to have anything to do with the examinations,” the DG stressed.

Crackdown on exam malpractice: 8 Jailed, 10 fined

As a means of evidence to assure the public that people who will engage in examination malpractice will not be spared, the DG revealed that eight examination officials, who were apprehended in various examination malpractices last year during the BECE, have been jailed.

Additionally, a total of 10 others were fined between 100 and 200 penalty units, translating to about GH₵5,000 each.

The GES Director-General also indicated that 46 other offenders were being processed for the appropriate sanctions to be meted out.

Throwing more light on the various offences, Prof. Davis said 17 of the cases were mobile phone-related, while 13 were involved in the distribution of prepared/photocopied answers.

Six were involved in solving questions for candidates, also known as external support, four had unauthorised materials, while three were involved in network and collusion.

Expressing concern about examination malpractice, Prof. Davis said it continues to be a major problem in the conduct of the examination.

He described the practice as dangerous since it made it difficult to accurately assess the learning outcomes of students.

“At the end of the day, the results of the student who cheated in the examination will never reflect the student’s true academic capability.

“This often leads to wrong judgment of learning outcomes in the country and has the tendency to affect the formulation of education policy in our country,” Prof. Davis stated.

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