The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced the successful completion of the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates despite recording incidents of exam malpractice.

The exam, which began on Monday, August 5, 2024, with the administration of Visual Arts project work, concluded on Friday, September 20, 2024. 

A total of 460,611 candidates, comprising 212,954 males and 247,657 females from 1,003 schools registered for the examination, which was conducted across 1,000 centres nationwide.

The examination process was closely monitored by WAEC staff, monitoring agents recruited by the Council, and personnel from the National Intelligence Bureau, Ghana Police Service, National Security, and the Ghana Education Service. 

Other key stakeholders, including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and other security agencies, were also involved in the monitoring efforts.

According to WAEC in a statement issued on Thursday, September 26, the majority of supervisors, invigilators, and candidates adhered to the rules and regulations. 

“Most candidates also adhered to the Dos and Don'ts of the examination communicated to them during the sensitisation of candidates prior to the conduct of the examination,” part of the statement read. 

The statement said that despite the overall successful execution of the exam, the Council’s inspectors observed several instances of malpractice involving supervisors, invigilators, and candidates including photocopying and distributing answers to candidates, smuggling unauthorised materials into the exam halls, bringing mobile phones into exam halls by both candidates and teachers amongst others.

“The Council will take appropriate action to ensure that all examination officials and stakeholders who were found culpable are sanctioned in accordance with the appropriate provisions of the rules and regulations governing the conduct of the examination,” the statement said.

Additionally, WAEC expressed its gratitude to stakeholders who reported attempts by certain institutions to cheat during the examination. 

The Council reiterated its commitment to conducting credible and fair examinations at all levels, despite the challenges encountered.