WAEC outlines steps to end WASSCE questions leakage

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) after a crunch meeting with relevant stakeholders on the conduct of this year’s international examination has announced effective steps to end the annual WASSCE questions leakage.

With about 422,883 candidates from 977 Senior High Schools sitting for the 2022 edition of the WASSCE for School, WAEC says adequate measures have been put in place to ensure a smooth administration of the examination.

“Out of the total number of candidates that registered for this year’s examination, 203,753 are males and 219,130 females. This indicates a decrease of 5.25% compared to the 2021 entry figure of 446,352,” it stated in a blog post.

WAEC outlines steps to end WASSCE questions leakage

The management of the non-profit-making organization (WAEC) has put in place a number of measures to guarantee test security. These include:

1. Collaboration with the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) to monitor the printing of question papers

2. Working closely with a number of security agencies to track and arrest dealers and operators of rogue websites

3. Inspection of all the depots nationwide. Depots that needed further fortification have been duly attended to;

4. Serialisation of some question papers

5. Movement of question papers from Strong Rooms to Depots in batches

6. Creation of additional depots for the storage of confidential materials to ensure that the depots are located close to schools to prevent the situation where schools start late or question papers are released to them early

7. Use of number combination padlocks in addition to ordinary padlocks for all security bags containing question paper packets

8. Issuing of question papers not earlier than 45 minutes before the start of each paper

9. Enhanced inspection of malpractice prone centres and surveillance of same

10. Correspondence to the Director-General, GES regarding reports received from concerned citizens of collection of monies and plans of certain schools to cheat. There will be continued surveillance of these schools by the Council’s team of inspectors and security personnel in the course of the examination

11. Naming and shaming of schools who engage in malpractice during the conduct of the examination to serve as a deterrent to others

The African Examinations Council has also entreated persons who will be associated with the conduct of the August/September WASSCE for School particularly supervisors and invigilators to carry out their duties as expected.

“We urge them to be vigilant, refrain from taking their mobile phones into the examination hall and carry out their duties as expected. They should not be agents of malpractice as unfortunately is the case sometimes,” WAEC noted.