Gov’t JHSs engaged in BECE malpractice than private JHSs – WAEC

Final-year students from public Junior High Schools (JHSs) engaged in malpractice in the just-ended Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) than their colleagues from private Junior High Schools, the West African Examinations Council has disclosed.

“I think from the report that we received I can only remember two that are private schools but the majority of them are public schools,” the Head of Public Affairs of WAEC, John Kapi, said in an interview monitored by Pretertiary.com.

Asked what is next after the examination, the spokesperson said his outfit in due course will commence marking the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) scripts of candidates who sat for the 2024 national examination.

“The next stage is for us to do the marking, and what we are going to do is invite examiners from across the country for national preliminary coordination, where they come and sit down as experts and relook at the marking scheme,” he said.

The WAEC spokesperson, in a discussion with Ghana News Agency, said out of the 33 picked up, 19 were teachers who were supervisors and invigilators, adding that three of those picked up had nothing to do with the examination.  

Mr John Kapi said those picked up for breaching the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) regulations were being processed for courts. 

A total of 569,095 candidates representing 282,648 males and 286,447 females from 19,506 private and public Junior High Schools participated in the BECE for School, which commenced on Monday, July 8, and ended on Monday, July 15, 2024.

Regarding the Basic Education Certificate Examination for Private Candidates, about 1,366 candidates, comprising 735 males and 631 females, registered. 15 centres, mainly in the regional capitals, were used for the private examination.

A total of 2,123 supervisors, 1,889 assistant supervisors, and 19,973 invigilators, according to the Examinations Council, were engaged to ensure the smooth conduct of the BECE for School held in 2,123 centres nationwide.

Ended for the majority of the candidates on Friday, July 12, 2024, a media report says that about 33 examination officials have been arrested for various infractions this academic year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

In other news, the Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to invest in pre-examination sensitization to clearly outline the consequences of malpractice.

In a social media post sighted by Pretertiary.com, IFEST said a well-structured media sensitization campaign will deter examination malpractice, which remains one of the most pressing challenges undermining the credibility of education.

The Education Studies also said the media sensitization campaign is essential, not only to deter examination malpractice but also to foster a culture of honesty, hard work, and accountability among learners.

“To achieve greater impact, a media sensitization campaign on examination malpractice should begin with clear and compelling messaging.

The focus should be on educating students and the wider public about why malpractice is harmful, emphasizing how it destroys integrity, devalues certificates, and ultimately ruins the future of those involved.

The campaign should also highlight the punishments and consequences in simple and relatable language so that students fully understand what is at stake. Real-life testimonies from students who were caught in malpractice can be shared to make the message even more relatable and impactful,” IFEST said.