Accra, Ghana – April 30, 2026 – The Ghana Education Service (GES) has officially banned teachers and invigilators found to be involved in examination malpractices during the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). This action follows an investigative report released eight months ago, which exposed systemic corruption within the GES, implicating officials in compromising the integrity of the crucial national examination.
The investigative piece, a collaboration between GhProbe and JoyNews, revealed how individuals mandated to oversee the BECE actively facilitated cheating. These officials allegedly worked to prevent external monitoring by WAEC and National Security personnel, ensuring candidates passed subjects through illicit means.
The GhProbe investigation identified a network of perpetrators that included examination supervisors and their deputies, head teachers, invigilators, and general teachers. School Improvement Support Officers were also implicated, alongside the candidates who benefited from these fraudulent practices.
GES Probe and Sanctions
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, April 30, 2026, ahead of the 2026 BECE, Director-General of GES, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, confirmed that the final report on the 2025 malpractices had been received. The report detailed various categories of offenses, including mobile phone-related violations, distribution of prepared answers, solving cases for candidates, possession of unauthorized materials, organized coordinated malpractice, leakage, financially motivated practices like bribery, and dictating answers.
Prof. Davis stated that the implicated parties are currently undergoing a review process. “The final report has been brought to us, we will review and then take it to Council and then once we receive Council’s blessing to trigger the proposed sanctions, we will do,” he announced.
As a precautionary measure pending the GES Council’s approval of sanctions, all individuals linked to the 2025 examination malpractices are barred from BECE-related duties. “All teachers and supervisors who were linked to examination malpractice last year, and are being processed for sanctions are banned from the examination centers. They are not expected to have anything to do with the examination,” Prof. Davis emphasized, noting that directives have been sent to all regional directors.
This year, the GES has vetted 21,791 invigilators to manage the upcoming examination, aiming to restore credibility and public confidence. A total of 620,141 candidates, comprising 304,349 boys and 315,792 girls from 20,395 schools, are expected to sit for the 2026 BECE, scheduled to commence on Monday, May 4, 2026.
Background of the Investigation
The investigative findings, published eight months prior, prompted the GES to initiate its own internal probe. This led to meetings at the circuit level to understand how the examination system was compromised.
GhProbe reported that some invigilators were summoned to appear before the Accra Metro Education Director on September 10, 2025. Subsequently, the GES constituted a special committee to thoroughly investigate the allegations.
The committee comprised key figures from GES, including Dr. Munawaru Issahaque (Deputy Director-General Quality and Access) and Mr. Prince Charles Agyemann-Duah (Director of Schools and Instruction Division). Representatives from WAEC, the Greater Accra Regional Director, the Director of HRMD, TEWU, the chief internal auditor of GES, the President of the Conference of Heads of Basic Schools, and the Public Relations Officer of GES also served on the committee.
The committee invited the lead investigative journalist, Francisca Enchill, who appeared before them on November 11, 2025, accompanied by two members of her team, to provide further details on the exposé.
Implications for Future Examinations
The GES’s decisive action to ban implicated personnel signals a renewed commitment to exam integrity. This move is expected to deter future malpractice and reassure stakeholders, including parents and students, about the fairness of the BECE process.
The vetting of a large number of invigilators and the public announcement of sanctions underscore the service’s intent to enforce stricter protocols. The success of these measures will be closely watched as the 2026 BECE begins.
Moving forward, the focus will be on the thorough implementation of the sanctions and the long-term impact on examination security. The GES will need to continuously monitor and adapt its strategies to prevent the recurrence of such widespread malpractices.
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