The Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has attributed the reduction in examination malpractices to the implementation of question serialisation by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

In a recent interview during his visit to monitor the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Accra, Dr. Adutwum emphasized the effectiveness of serialisation in curbing leaks of examination questions.

Over the past three years, Dr. Adutwum revealed that he had directed WAEC to adopt serialisation, a measure aimed at preventing the leakage of examination questions.

He expressed satisfaction with the compliance of WAEC and highlighted that this initiative has significantly deterred malpractice by introducing uncertainty about the origin of leaked questions.

“If you want to say that you have the questions and you have gotten them leaked to you, you don’t know which examination centre has that question, so parents are not buying, students are not interested, and they are focusing on studying,” he said.

Addressing stakeholders at the Accra College Demonstration Centres A and B, Dr. Adutwum praised the stringent measures put in place to safeguard the integrity of the examination process.

He noted that the uncertainty surrounding question leaks has discouraged unethical behaviors among students and parents, thereby fostering a more focused approach to studying.

The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with WAEC, has also implemented randomisation of examination questions as part of broader efforts to sanitize the examination system.

Dr. Adutwum announced plans to expand the serialisation initiative to the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2025, aiming to further strengthen examination security.

“The Ministry will in 2025 look at how to do serialisation within the classroom so that student A, who is seated here, will have different questions from student B, who is seated in the same classroom, he said.

In related developments, Ms. Margaret Kaba, the Municipal Director of Education for Ayawaso West, reported a smooth and peaceful start to the BECE in her jurisdiction.

She confirmed that 1,345 candidates, comprising 690 boys and 650 girls, were sitting for the examination across six centres in the municipality.

Despite a slight decrease in the number of candidates compared to the previous year, Ms. Kaba highlighted the positive atmosphere during the examinations, thanks to the presence of invigilators and support from local law enforcement.

Dr. Eric Nkansah, the Director-General of Ghana Education Service, extended best wishes to all candidates undertaking the BECE, urging them to approach the exams with confidence and integrity. He emphasized the importance of adhering to ethical standards and encouraged students to demonstrate their knowledge acquired through the standards-based curriculum.

This year's BECE sees 569,095 candidates participating from 19,506 schools nationwide, reflecting a marginal decrease from the previous year.