JoyNews to air a documentary exposing malpractices in 2025 BECE

JoyNews is set to air a documentary on malpractices that occurred during the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The documentary titled “Dark World of BECE”, scheduled for September 8, 2025, exposes widespread cheating in the national examination involving Ghana Education Service (GES) officials and invigilators.

Excerpts of the documentary, sighted by Pretertiary.com, indicated that officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES) colluded with invigilators, accepting as little as GH¢60 to allow candidates to cheat in the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).

At the Derby Avenue RC Basic School in Accra, investigators found that invigilators were promised GH¢60 daily to look the other way as candidates smuggled mobile phones into examination halls, used artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and even received solved questions directly from officials.

At St. George’s Anglican, the investigators discovered that supervisors distributed envelopes containing GH¢400 to invigilators, while candidates themselves were instructed to make daily payments.

By the final paper, invigilators had even introduced an “Aseda Offertory,” where students contributed at least GH¢5 each in appreciation, with the pooled funds shared among invigilators.

The investigation revealed that malpractice was carefully organised: invigilators dictated answers, circulated handwritten and printed solutions, and collected the evidence before candidates left the halls.

According to the documentary, some supervisors acted as lookouts against the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Security officials, ensuring malpractice went undetected.

Produced by GH Probe investigative journalist Francisca Enchill, the Accra-based television station says the full documentary airs on Monday, 8th September 2025, on JoyNews’ AM Show, Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, and Joy Prime’s Prime Morning.

A total of 603,328 candidates, comprising 297,250 males and 306,078 females, from nineteen thousand, five hundred and five (19,505) Junior High Schools (JHSs) entered for the school examination.

This includes seventy-two (72 ) candidates with visual impairment, two hundred and thirty-nine (239) with hearing impairment, and one hundred and sixty-one (161) candidates with other test accommodation needs.

The examination was conducted at two thousand, two hundred and thirty-seven (2,237 ) centres across the country. Out of the total number, two thousand, five hundred and twenty-six (2,526) candidates were absent.

The BECE for Private Candidates recorded a total entry figure of one thousand, three hundred and ninety (1,661) candidates. This was made up of eight hundred and fifty-eight (858) males and eight hundred and three (803 ) females.

Fifteen (15) centres, mostly in the regional capitals, were used for the BECE for Private Candidates. Out of the total number of candidates who entered for the examination, fifty-seven (57) were absent.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has cancelled the entire 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results of 177 students and withheld the results of over 2,000 others.

The not-for-profit organization claims the affected final-year Junior High School (JHS) students were involved in examination malpractices involving mobile phones and other unauthorized items.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) attributed 95% of this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results being cancelled due to candidates using mobile phones in examination halls.

The Head of Public Affairs at West African Examinations Council (WAEC), John Kapi, disclosed this while speaking on Accra-based Starr FM’s Morning Star with Naa Dedei Tettey on Monday, August 25, monitored by Pretertiary.com.

“At the end of this, the marking process, we cancelled 718 subject results, that is, for 718 candidates. Then we had 177 of them who had their entire results cancelled

We withheld 1,240 results of candidates, and then also the entire results of ninety-three candidates have withheld for further investigation. A number of schools have had, I mean, for the entire school, subject results have been cancelled for about 119 schools,” he said.