GES announces sanctions for WASSCE cheating schools

The Ghana Education Service (GES) following a move by some Senior High Schools (SHSs) partaking in the ongoing 2022 WASSCE to cheat has said any cheating school will be derecognised as a centre for the examination.

GES in a statement copied to AcademicWeek has therefore tasked Regional Directors of Education to caution heads of various public Senior High Schools to refrain from any intended action to cheat in the 2022 WASSCE for School.

The heads of secondary schools have similarly been entreated to caution staff and candidates against any intention to engage in examination malpractice that will undermine the integrity of the Ghana version of the International exams.

“Regional Directors of Education concerned are hereby been admonished to intensify monitoring of the conduct of the examination in all schools,” the management of the agency under the Ministry of Education stated in the press release.

According to the Ghana Education Service, it will not hesitate to relocate candidates of any Senior High School reported to be cheating in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination to a different examination centre.

In a related development, the West African Examinations Council has said it will cancel the results of candidates in Senior High Schools caught being involved in exams malpractice and having their school derecognised as a centre.

“The Council has the mandate to de-recognise schools caught engaging in this malpractice. Candidates identified as having colluded would have their results cancelled,” the not-for-profit-making organization stated in a blog post.

The threat follows claim some school authorities have adopted the practice of locking their school gates during the examination period with the aim of preventing WAEC inspectors and monitors from gaining access into their school compounds to monitor the examination.

To ensure a smooth and successful 2022 WASSCE, WAEC says it is working closely with the GES and the National Intelligence Bureau to check infringements of the rules and regulations governing the ongoing examination.

“Some hot spots have been identified and monitoring of these centres has been intensified. The Council urges all stakeholders to collaborate with it to safeguard the integrity of the examination,” WAEC stated in the blog post.