The Head of Public Affairs at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), John Kapi, has revealed that seven invigilators were arrested on the first day of the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) over various forms of examination malpractice.
In an interview with 3news on May 4, Mr. Kapi explained that the reported cases occurred across three regions. According to him, three cases were recorded in the Central Region, two in the Bono Region, and two in the Ashanti Region, bringing the total number of arrests to seven.
He disclosed that five of the cases involved the illegal use of mobile phones, while the remaining two were linked to invigilators who had prepared answers intended to be distributed to candidates inside the examination halls.
Mr. Kapi further clarified that out of the seven individuals involved, three were not actively invigilating at the time, while the other four were directly serving as invigilators.
Expressing concern over the situation, he questioned why some teachers continue to engage in such acts despite repeated warnings and sensitization efforts. He noted that WAEC has undertaken extensive stakeholder engagements across various regions, involving teachers, traditional leaders, security personnel, parent-teacher associations, and parents.
He added that the Director-General of WAEC has clearly outlined the sanctions for teachers found guilty of malpractice, while the Minister of Education has also strongly condemned such actions. Despite these efforts, Mr. Kapi said it remains surprising that some teachers still choose to involve themselves in examination misconduct.
Despite the incidents recorded, he indicated that the examination process has generally proceeded smoothly. No candidate has been prevented from writing the exams.
However, he mentioned that one of the key challenges faced on the first day was the delayed delivery of examination materials to some centres, particularly in parts of the Western Region.
Mr. Kapi assured that such logistical challenges are expected to be addressed as the examination continues in the coming days.
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