The 603,328 candidates in Junior High Schools (JHS) who began writing this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) on Wednesday, 11 June, bring it to completion today, June 18.

The candidates from 20,395 schools comprised 297,250 males and 306,078 females. Pregnant girls, lactating mothers, and prison inmates all participated in this year's exams.

Ahead of the exams, Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, entreated the candidates to remain focused and stay away from exam malpractices.

Barely 72 hours after the commencement of the exams, the West African Examination Council announced that 10 individuals had been caught engaging in exam malpractice.

“These 10 culprits have been handed over to law enforcement agencies. Their actions are criminal under WAEC law, and the police will now work to prosecute them in court.”

“There was one supervisor who had a mobile phone. He had taken smart shots of the questions and posted them on social media. In addition, six other invigilators were found with mobile phones containing pictures of the examination questions," Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, told JoyNews.

During the period, several candidates sustained injuries due to accidents, and a life was lost. Eight BECE candidates from Nangbagu Yapala M/A JHS in the Northern Region were involved in a road accident on their way to write Tuesday’s paper (June 12) at the Tamale Secondary School (Tamasco) examination centre in the Sagnarigu Municipality.

A supervisor accompanying the candidates, Mr Abdulai Mohammed, recounted that the accident happened after the tricycle’s steering reportedly locked, causing the rider to lose control and crash into the motorbike.

“We got another means to carry them to the Tamale West Hospital, but because of the ongoing strike, it took a while before they managed to get two nurses and one doctor to attend to them.”

“When we got to the centre, they had finished the first paper, and the students were coming out. We isolated our students so they could write, but unfortunately, they were denied,” Mr Mohammed explained.

Assin South District Education Director, Isaac Opoku, confirmed the demise of a 14-year-old Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidate, Awudu Gariba, who was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Assin Fosu Polyclinic on Friday, June 13.

The Nnuanua Number 1 Basic School student, according to reports, showed unrest last Thursday at the exam hall and was rushed to the Adiembra CHPS compound but was denied medical care as the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) was still in motion.

Two Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates of Big Six International School, located at Meduma in the Ashanti Region were also denied the chance to write their Mathematics paper after being locked in a room by their headmaster over unpaid school fees.

According to reports, the headmaster issued a directive barring the students from participating in the exams unless their outstanding fees were settled. After the students defied the order and attempted to proceed to the exam centre, they were locked in a room on the school premises, causing them to miss the Mathematics paper.

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Kwabre East, Onyina-Akyeampong Akwasi Gyamfi, has taken a strong stance against the detention of two Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates by the headmaster of their school.

He has formally reported this incident to the police and “expects the individual responsible to face the consequences of his actions.” “It’s alarming to learn that a similar situation arose at this school last year, and I’m committed to pursuing this case vigorously,” Mr Gyamfi assured.

The number of candidates that registered for this year's BECE (SC) is 5.99% higher than the 2024 entry figure.

Overall, 569,236 candidates participated in the 2024 BECE, comprising 282,703 boys and 286,533 girls from 19,505 schools. Special accommodations were provided for 59 visually impaired candidates, 263 with hearing impairments, and 161 others requiring specific assistance.

The exam took place at 2,123 centres nationwide, though 3,845 candidates were marked as absent. The BECE for Private Candidates had 1,390 participants, 750 males and 640 females, taking the exam at 15 centres across the country’s regional capitals. Among them, 57 candidates did not show up for the exam.

Some 33 school candidates and 3 private candidates had their results withheld due to investigations into possible irregularities. WAEC also flagged subject results from 149 schools, pending further investigations into reported malpractices.

Following thorough investigations, the Final Awards and Examiners' Appointment Committee, at its 35th meeting on October 16, 2024, decided to nullify the subject results for 377 school candidates and 3 private candidates.

Also, two teachers were arrested in Jachie Pramso, Ashanti Region, over alleged examination malpractice, following the earlier arrest of three teachers and two residents in Bekwai.

To avert the cancellation of results and legal issues, WAEC has urged this year’s candidates and teachers to avoid engaging in exam malpractices.