The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has intensified its efforts to combat the growing menace of examination malpractice, as perpetrators increasingly exploit sophisticated technology to cheat.

With the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) just three months away, WAEC has expressed deep concern over coordinated cheating schemes, some reportedly involving entire schools in premeditated malpractice.

According to the Council, such unethical practices, often facilitated by students, school authorities, and even trusted stakeholders, pose a serious threat to the credibility and integrity of the examination process.

In response, WAEC has convened a high-level stakeholder engagement, bringing together key players in the education sector to develop robust, future-focused strategies to address the problem.

John Kapi, Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, acknowledged the scale of the challenge.

“Examination malpractice, as we speak, is on the rise. Coupled with this era of ICT, it may be difficult to fight. We have fought it. If we had left it, it would have gotten out of hand. It hasn’t gotten out of hand, but we don’t wait for it to get out of hand.

"That’s why we called for this stakeholder engagement to tap into the expertise and experiences of all of us in education,” he said.

WAEC maintains that protecting the integrity of examinations is a shared responsibility that demands collective action across the education ecosystem.