The Ghana Education Service (GES) is asking everyone to help them fight cheating during important school exams. They have opened special phone lines and a WhatsApp number. People can send information about anyone caught cheating. This effort aims to ensure the fairness of exams like the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Professor Smile Gavua Dzisi, a Deputy Director-General at GES, explained that these hotlines have already helped catch people. The number for calls and SMS is 020-1360-789. For WhatsApp messages, people can use 020-1360-786. She stated that they are determined to catch those involved in cheating. Security agencies are also working to find and stop cheating attempts.
This call for help comes as Ghana is working to improve its education system. Cheating in exams means we do not know how much students have truly learned. This makes it hard to plan for improvements. It also affects the value of Ghanaian certificates when people seek work or further studies abroad. GES wants its certificates to be trusted everywhere.
Professor Dzisi made these remarks during a visit to senior high schools in Accra. She saw how the WASSCE theory exams were starting. She warned teachers and invigilators that they would be caught if they help students cheat. Some teachers have already been convicted for such acts. This action could end their careers with GES. She stressed that students should be allowed to show their own knowledge.
She also mentioned that Ghana has returned to writing the WASSCE with other West African countries. This is the first time in five years. This alignment means Ghanaian students take the exam at the same time as their peers in other WAEC member countries. This is seen as a positive step for standardization and international recognition of certificates. It also avoids extra costs for the country.
Hajia Katumi Natogmah Attah, the Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, also appealed to invigilators. She asked them not to give any help to students during the exam. No extra materials should be brought into the exam hall. She expressed confidence in the students' preparation and ability to pass on their own merit.