The Examination Black Market; A Threat to WAEC’s Monopoly?

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is a non-profit-making examining body whose objectives are to organize examinations in the public interest and award certificates that do not represent lower standards of attainment than equivalent certificates of examining authorities in the United Kingdom. To fulfil these objectives, it organises yearly standardized test (Basic Education Certificate Examination, BECE) for junior high school students to progress into senior high schools and West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), is the exam taken by senior high school students to get into tertiary institutions.

Over the years, there have been several reports of leakages of examinations popularly known as “apor” from WAEC hours and even days before papers are written. This has led to WAEC cancelling examinations in some years for candidates to rewrite. This happened in 2002 when BECE questions were cancelled due to massive leakage, in 2015, 5 BECE papers were also cancelled because of leakage. WAEC also cancelled some subjects in the 2008 WASSCE because of leakages.

Additionally, some teachers and students in various schools across the country are seen with solved questions of papers they were going to write even before they entered the exams hall. And these questions appeared in the exams exactly as it was seen before they entered the exams hall.

This problem of examination leakage is deepened by the proliferation of social media and mobile phone usage by most WASSCE candidates in Ghana. Students and teachers get access to the leaked questions (“apor”) through social media on their phones. It is well known among students that they will get “apor” when it is time to write their final exams either BECE or WASSCE every year. These students expect it, in fact they believe it’s part of their rights as candidates and will do anything to get it including raising funds to pay for it.

Because of the demand for “apor”, there has emerged a lucrative examination “black market” for WAEC leaks in Ghana. Their aim is to secure and sell “apor” to candidates. Candidates with the help of some teachers spend time mobilizing money to purchase “apor” (questions) from these “black market” operators rather than concentrating on learning. There have been several reports of teachers collecting money from students to buy “apor” for them. The director general of GES has issued a statement asking that people doing that in the ongoing 2020 WASSCE be identified and sanctioned.

The problem however is; how do questions leak for students to get their hands on it? Is it through Mallams or stickers from self-styled prophets? The answer is a big no. It is officials, “agents” who work directly or indirectly with WAEC that leak the questions. This demand for ‘apor’ is sustained by these middle men or “agents” at WAEC and some teachers.

Much as it is necessary to identify these middle men and teachers who mobilize money from students to get them ‘apor’, it is equally important that WAEC also check their processes. How do WAEC monitor printing and packaging of exam questions, supply the questions nationwide or who watches over them when it gets to the various Districts where the exam is taking place?

However, WAEC with the help of GES is always quick to issue denial statements when people complain about leakages. Over the past years, there is scarcely a year that there weren't allegations of examination leakages, yet, WAEC and GES will pretend it doesn't exist; they are rather interested in denying to protect their already marred institutional integrity than providing a credible assessment of students. Because there is no alternative examination body, we always have to go to WAEC every year.

Candidates cannot bear the blame alone. Students like all of us will not like to fail in examinations especially if it affects our progress in life. GES’ own maiden teachers aptitude tests for promotion got into the hands of some teachers and were found on social media days before the paper. These were exams organised by GES for teachers themselves and not students, yet it leaked.

Conclusion

Examination leakages have always been a problem with WAEC exams. What is happening this year is that students paid huge sums of money to these “black market” agents and relied absolutely on “apor”, hence went into the exam hall ill-prepared. The disappointment was equally huge when they didn’t see any of the “apor” in the questions. This was worsened when President Akuffo-Addo’s “pasco” also swerved them.

These alleged ‘agents’ at WAEC who are the main source of leakages coupled with WAEC’s own lapses call their monopoly over examinations into question. Is it time to allow another examining body to also join in organizing standardized tests to assess our students?