The head of Africa Education Watch credits stricter oversight for reducing exam cheating. Kofi Asare says the 2025 WASSCE saw a marked drop in malpractice. He believes tighter monitoring by WAEC made the difference. This vigilance stopped students from getting unfairly high grades.
The official results support this observation. WAEC cancelled results for 6,295 candidates. They were caught with unauthorized materials in exam halls. Investigations into another 1,066 cases are still ongoing. Authorities also withheld 908 subject results and 158 full results.
Core Mathematics performance declined sharply this year. Pass rates in the A1 to C6 range fell significantly. The number dropped from over 305,000 in 2024 to about 209,000. This is a reduction of more than 96,000 passes. Only 48.73 percent of candidates achieved a passing grade.
Kofi Asare explained the situation on national television. He stated the enhanced supervision was very visible. Students could not obtain grades they did not genuinely earn. His organization, Eduwatch, actively monitored the exams. They deployed trained observers to 150 schools nationwide.
Many of these monitors were experienced teachers. Their report found that 61% of respondents rated invigilation positively. They described it as good, very good, or excellent. New policy threats also helped deter cheating. The Education Minister warned of harsh penalties for implicated teachers.
Teachers could face dismissal instead of just suspension. This stricter signal reinforced WAEC’s operational vigilance. Together, these measures strengthened exam credibility. The focus now shifts to sustaining this integrity in future exams. The goal is maintaining fair and trusted results for all students.
