GES Bars Over 40 Invigilators as BECE Malpractice Crackdown Tightens

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has barred more than 40 invigilators from supervising this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) following confirmed cases of malpractice during last year’s exams, with Director-General Professor Ernest Davis stating that the offences included assisting candidates with answers, sharing mobile phones in exam halls, distributing prepared solutions and directly solving questions for students. He added that investigations also uncovered cases of unauthorized materials, coordinated cheating schemes and an alleged attempt by a parent to bribe an invigilator, with affected individuals set to face further sanctions and possible prosecution.

Professor Davis disclosed that 620,141 candidates are expected to sit for this year’s BECE, made up of 304,349 boys and 315,792 girls from 20,395 schools, representing a 2.7 percent increase, while also announcing reforms to the school selection process that will allow candidates to choose up to two Category A schools and submit final selections after results are released ahead of SHS placement in September 2026. He further indicated that arrangements have been made with national security to relocate candidates in conflict-prone areas to safer locations to ensure equal access and fairness, as part of broader efforts to protect the integrity of the examination system.