Policy think tank, Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has petitioned the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service to investigate the circumstances leading to the leakage of papers for the 2020 West African Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

According to the Executive Director, Kofi Asare, his institution has gathered evidence that when investigated could help the examination body and government strengthen their quality of assessment, by including security and also enhance their credibility.

Speaking on Top Story he said, “we have been intercepting questions, between 10:30 pm and 4:00 am, at least for four WASSCE subjects. It started from the 20th of August with Food and Nutrition 3, then it moved to Elective Maths sometime last week.”

“This week English leaked and on the same day as English paper, NAPTEX Social Studies came around. Then this dawn at 4:00 am we got the Physics, so this is the fifth one we have intercepted.”

Mr Asare told Evans Mensah on Wednesday that Eduwatch began discussions with the CID about the investigations on Tuesday and subsequently submitted their evidence and sources for the leaked questions.

He said that his team bought those leaked questions between GHS30 to GHS100 from some platforms on social media.

“So we think that it is time for the CID to do their work and assist the government of Ghana, find out where the questions are leaking. Obviously, the questions are not leaking in the classroom, they are not leaking in the centres.”

“They are leaking in a night before the papers, so all the time you realise that the time it leaks is actually a time when the questions should be in the safe custody of the strong room (of WAEC) and not at the schools. That is why we think that the CID must step in,” Mr Asare added.

His comment follows confirmation by WAEC that two papers have been compromised in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).

The Council says its investigations have uncovered that extracts of the 2021 Elective Mathematics and English Language tests, had been found in the public domain.

Addressing stakeholders, Head of Test Administration at WAEC, George Ohene-Mantey, said portions of the papers were found to have been circulated before the examination as “the ‘cheating’ social media groups were in full swing.”

Meanwhile, Eduwatch believes that tracing perpetrators to rogue social media sites should be a post facto process, especially because they are not the source.

“It leaks from the ground, moves to the schools and ends up on social media. Indeed our monitors in about 100 schools confirm that the questions get to the schools before they get to the social media platforms,” Mr Asare said.

Again, he has applauded WAEC for its readiness to change external invigilators to some schools they have noted malpractices occurring.

“We have about 53 schools on our list where we cannot say that there is any level of invigilation taking place or invigilators are compromised both internal and external” he added.

Mr Asare said Eduwatch is ready to provide WAEC with their list so the action could extend there as well.