By Kodjo Adams
Accra, April 15, GNA – Africa Education Watch, a policy research organisation, has called for a new framework to hold school heads accountable for examination malpractice.
The organisation proposed sanctions, including removal of heads of schools where malpractice exceeds 50 per cent in any subject.
Mr Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, said this at a press briefing in Accra on its 2026 first quarter education policy monitoring activity.
“Until school leadership is held accountable, examination room collusion will continue to rise, threatening assessment integrity,” the organisation said.
Mr Asare said ahead of the 2025 WASSCE, the Ghana Education Service dismissed staff found culpable of aiding examination malpractice.
He said final malpractice data from the 2025 WASSCE showed an increase from 10 per cent in 2024 to 14.8 per cent in 2025.
Mr Asare said 99.7 per cent of the malpractice resulted from examination room collusion, leading to similar or identical scripts detected during marking.
This implied that nearly 15 per cent of candidates had a subject result cancelled.
Mr Asare said although preparations were underway for the 2026 WASSCE in June, no school head or invigilator had been sanctioned.
“If we continue not to demand accountability from school leadership, Ghana could be heading towards a 20 per cent malpractice rate in 2026.
Mr Asare said in September 2025, an undercover documentary by GH Probe titled “The Dark World of BECE” exposed some GES staff engaging in malpractice for cash in schools in the Accra Metropolis.
On September 10, 2025, he said Eduwatch called for investigations into the documentary and sanctions for culpable staff.
“After several advocacies for expedited disciplinary processes, the outcome of investigations has still not been made public, with all staff seen in the video still at post and preparing for another BECE next month.
“This accountability inertia cannot discourage the exam malpractice culture; it rather incentivises the same,” Mr Asare said.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey