The Ghana Education Service (GES) has cautioned candidates writing the on-going 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) warning that offenders could be jailed between 12 and 15 years.

Nana Kumi Agyemang, the Dormaa Central Municipal Public Relations Officer of the GES in the Bono Region who gave the warning said the entire results of offenders could also be cancelled or withheld.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Dormaa-Ahenkro, he said a total of 2,179 candidates comprising 1,075 males and 1,104 females, drawn from four Senior High Schools (SHSs) were writing the examination in the Municipality.

Nana Agyemang said the schools comprise the Christ Apostolic Church SHS, Dormaa SHS, Adehyeman SHS and the Salvation Army SHS, saying a monitoring team had been set up to supervise the successful conduct of the examinations at the four centers.

He said the police had also been engaged, supporting to maintain law and order, adding that the education directorate had banned the use of mobile phones at the centers with invigilators and supervisors enforcing the ban.

Nana Agyemang said: “The candidates are also under strict supervision to prevent the use of Artificial intelligence (AI) for the examination”.

He said so far, the examination was progressing steadily without challenges and cautioned the candidates against sending prohibited items and materials into the examination halls that could land them in trouble, instead encouraging them to be courageous and be confident in tackling their papers.

Nana Agyemang noted the number of females writing the WASSCE in the Municipality this year was inspiring and attributed it partly to the government’s intervention like free SHS policy and the free sanitary pad distribution initiative.

He said intensified education and counseling from the girl-child education coordinators had also contributed to the increase in the number of females writing the examination in the municipality.