The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has confirmed the arrest of seven individuals, including invigilators and teachers, for alleged involvement in examination malpractice during the ongoing 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, told Citi News that the arrests were made across three regions, the Central, Bono and Ashanti Regions.
According to him, three suspects were picked up in the Central Region, two in the Bono Region, and two in the Ashanti Region.
He explained that five of the suspects were found with mobile phones in examination halls, which were allegedly used to capture images of examination questions and circulate them on WhatsApp platforms.
Mr. Kapi further disclosed that some of the suspects allegedly relied on ChatGPT to generate answers, which were then dictated to candidates during the examinations.
He added that the two remaining suspects, although not found with mobile phones, were also implicated in the malpractice scheme.
One was reportedly caught distributing prepared answers to candidates, while the other was arrested for allegedly duplicating answer sheets intended for circulation among candidates.
WAEC said all seven suspects have since been handed over to the police for further investigations.
Expressing concern over the development, Mr. Kapi suggested that financial incentives may be driving such acts despite repeated warnings from examination authorities.
“I think they are enticed by monetary considerations; otherwise, I wouldn’t understand why anybody would want to do this even after all the warnings,” he said.
WAEC has reiterated its warning to candidates, invigilators and the general public against engaging in examination malpractice, stressing that offenders risk prosecution and the cancellation of results.
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