WAEC Needs Reform, Not Excuses

Introduction
WAEC should not ignore the recent public backlash following the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The current scheme creates unnecessary stress, overwhelming fatigue, and avoidable pressure for the young learners. This undue pressure has, in turn, led many students—and, regrettably, even some teachers with school approval—to cheat or create unfair advantages for some candidates.

Such a reality is deeply troubling. In this modern era, WAEC must adopt more efficient, student-friendly, and technology-supported examination systems that reduce pressure, protect academic integrity, and truly measure learning rather than endurance. The time for passive oversight has passed. WAEC must become proactive.

Problems with the Current BECE Structure

A. Too Many Subjects in Too Few Days
The current structure of BECE is fundamentally flawed. It prioritizes administrative convenience over student well-being, forcing candidates to prove three years of learning through a grueling test of endurance rather than intellect.

By cramming ten subjects into five days, the timetable leaves students with virtually no time to rest, revise or recover. This relentless pace guarantees mental exhaustion, physical fatigue, and sky-high anxiety—all of which cripple concentration and reduce performance.

For weaker candidates in particular, the back-to-back schedule triggers panic and mental overload. They fail not because they lack knowledge, but because their brains are too drained to recall what they know. An examination should assess learning, not the ability to survive exhaustion.

B. Increased Examination Malpractice
The current structure also fuels examination malpractice by creating an environment where cheating becomes a desperate lifeline.

When students face an overwhelming volume of content in too few days, even well-prepared candidates may feel their memory and stamina crack under strain. Meanwhile, teachers face intense institutional pressure to produce good school results. Some become silently complicit, not out of dishonesty, but out of fear for their school's reputation or job security. Administrators and school owners worry that poor performance could trigger loss of students or public shame.

This system of fear—fear of failure, fear of disappointing parents, fear of being labelled a "bad school"—gradually normalizes shortcuts. The tragic irony is that while the BECE aims to certify merit, its punishing structure encourages the very cheating that corrodes public trust and damages the credibility of every certificate issued.

C. Outdated Examination Management
BECE’s examination management remains stuck in the past, even as education evolves globally. International assessment bodies now provide online support materials, practice platforms, and transparent syllabi. The current BECE, however, leaves teachers struggling blindly with outdated past papers and unreliable resources.

This lack of official digital support forces educators to guess what might appear on exams rather than deepening genuine understanding. Modern examination bodies act as partners to schools through data dashboards and formative tools. The BECE operates like a pre-internet relic. Outdated management does not protect standards; it sabotages them by leaving most teachers to prepare in the dark.

Lessons from Cambridge International Education

A better system exists. Let us examine the Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint, which is written by learners in year 9 of the Cambridge syllabus. Even though it is not a promotional exam like BECE, its organization and resources reflect a modern approach to assessment.

A. Better Scheduling
Cambridge Checkpoint candidates sit for only three subjects (English, Mathematics and Science), with exams spread across two weeks. This extended schedule gives students ample time to prepare, rest, and revise. Reduced stress allows students to perform better academically because the assessment measures genuine understanding rather than sheer endurance.

B. Strong Teacher Support Systems
Through the Cambridge School Support Hub, teachers gain timely access to past questions, progressive tests for each subject, examiner reports, mark schemes, standardized grading guides, and end-of-series reports, all current and readily available.

This systematic support means no teacher struggles blindly. Prepared teachers produce prepared students. Schools can reduce panic because everyone knows exactly what to expect and how to succeed.

C. Reduced Pressure to Cheat
When teachers feel confident and preparation becomes systematic rather than desperate, students enter exams genuinely ready. Cambridge's transparent resources ensure that success comes from understanding, not shortcuts.

Good systems reduce corruption opportunities. Malpractice becomes far less attractive when honest preparation is clear, supported, and effective. A well-designed assessment structure does not just measure learning—it protects the integrity of the entire process.

What WAEC Should Do
Rather than offering only criticism, these are some present practical solutions WAEC can implement, starting with the next BECE cycle.

A. Spread Examinations Over a Longer Period

Ten subjects should never be compressed into five days. WAEC must allow reasonable gaps between papers—ideally spreading exams across two to three weeks. This simple change would reduce mental exhaustion and allow performance to reflect actual learning.

B. Create a Digital Teacher Support Portal

WAEC should launch an official online portal offering downloadable past questions, marking schemes, examiner reports, curriculum guides, and online practice tests. This resource would help schools across Ghana equally—whether in Accra or remote districts—ensuring no teacher struggles blindly again.

C. Increase Teacher Training
Through regular webinars, workshops, and online orientation sessions focused on exam preparation, WAEC could empower teachers with modern assessment strategies. Well-trained teachers produce confident students, and confident students perform honestly.

D. Strengthen Monitoring While Reducing Pressure

Punishment alone cannot stop examination malpractice. WAEC must recognize that better preparation and realistic scheduling are far more effective deterrents. When students are ready and teachers are supported, cheating loses its appeal.

E. Introduce Gradual Modernization
Looking ahead, WAEC should begin transitioning toward computer-based systems, digital candidate preparation, and fully online resources. This is about preparing Ghanaian students for a world that has already gone digital.

Conclusion
WAEC has played an important role in West African education for decades. But tradition alone cannot solve today's challenges. The current BECE structure does not measure learning—it measures how well a child can endure exhaustion, anxiety, and impossible pressure. That is not an examination; it is an endurance test, and it is failing our students.

Ghanaian children deserve better. They deserve a fair examination environment that rewards genuine understanding, supports teachers with proper tools, and produces certificates that truly mean something. When students succeed through exhaustion and fear, the entire nation loses

If examination pressure continues to fuel malpractice and student exhaustion, then reform can no longer be delayed. The future of education demands a system that supports learning, promotes honesty, and prepares students for a modern world. Twenty-first-century education requires twenty-first-century solutions.

The time for debate is over. WAEC must act now. Reform the BECE. Protect credible assessment. Uphold quality education. Put the wellbeing and genuine learning of Ghanaian students first.

WAEC must sit up and act now.
Rev. Charles S.K. Brew is an English Language teacher and an author.

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