Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, John Kapi
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has attributed the growing cases of examination malpractice in the country to selfish interests, inadequate preparation of candidates by some teachers, and what it describes as a decline in professional ethics within the education sector.
The concerns follow the arrest of 43 individuals, including teachers, invigilators, and supervisors, for allegedly aiding malpractice during the just-ended 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
According to WAEC, the suspects were apprehended at various examination centres across the country after intelligence gathered through tip-offs from whistleblowers and members of the public.
Speaking to Citi News on Wednesday, May 13, the Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, John Kapi, said the increasing incidents of examination malpractice stem from multiple factors, including financial inducement and deliberate attempts to manipulate results.
He explained that in some instances, money is allegedly collected from candidates with promises of external assistance during examinations, describing the practice as one of the major drivers of the misconduct.
Kapi further suggested that some teachers and examination officials may resort to aiding candidates because they failed to adequately prepare them ahead of the examinations.
“We could also talk about the fact that maybe some of the teachers that we picked up had not been able to do a good job regarding preparing the candidates for the examination, and so they had to look for means of assisting them in the course of the examination,” he stated.
According to him, the increasing willingness of some officials to assist candidates during examinations undermines the credibility of the educational system and weakens confidence in assessment outcomes.
WAEC has meanwhile reiterated its commitment to intensifying surveillance and collaboration with security agencies and the public to clamp down on examination malpractice across the country.
