The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is alarmed at the surge in examination malpractices, posing a significant threat to national security and educational integrity.

Irregularities in withheld subject results have increased by 16,000% in the last five years, whilst subject results cancelled rose by 269%.

This escalating crisis, the council says, undermines national integrity, producing an ill-prepared workforce that jeopardizes competitiveness in the changing global economy.

Subject results withheld increased from 3,235 in 2020 to 522,891 in 2024, whilst subject results cancelled rose from 10,496 to 38,693.

Conversely, entire subject cancellations decreased by 9.41%, dropping from 510 in 2020 to 462 in 2024.

Head of Humanities at WAEC, Daniel Nii Duodu, warns that the escalating malpractices erode educational credibility, affecting the long-term development of the nation.

“After the results are released, others also came up which beefed up the figures. Erosion of educational integrity. As instances of cheating and unethical behavior increase, the credibility of our academic system is severely undermined.

“This decline in educational integrity results in a workforce that is not only ill-prepared, but fundamentally incapable of meeting the demands and rapidly evolving global economy: A generation of graduates lacking essential skills and knowledge threatens our national competitiveness and long-term development and ultimately jeopardises the future prosperity of gravity, he said.

He was addressing the theme, “Examination Malpractice, a National Security Concern," during a highly focused deliberation with the WAEC that assembled heads of education stakeholders to devise stringent and futuristic solutions to exam malpractices.

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) is waging an all-out war against the rising rates of examination malpractices, as perpetrators now utilize sophisticated methods of technology.

John Kappi is the Head of Public Affairs at WAEC.

"Despite all methods to clamp down on malpractices, the illegal acts had metamorphosed into sophisticated methods. Using Electronic communication devices, sourcing answers from AI platforms during exams, students now employ teachers, printers nearby to supply already-answered question booklets.

“The body mandated to conduct an examination, which has conducted examination for the past seven decades, we do not absolve ourselves of the blame and responsibility to tackle this canker hands-on,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Kumasi branch controller, Ernest Akoto, is emphasizing the need for urgent and collective action against malpractices.

“The unethical behaviour being championed by some students and other perpetrators is undermining the integrity of the examination. This is why we are having and will have consistent engagements to consolidate ideas and solutions,” he said.