Seven individuals, including invigilators and teachers, have been arrested across three regions in Ghana for examination malpractice as the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination got underway on Monday, May 4, with 619,985 candidates sitting papers at 2,302 centres nationwide.

The WAEC Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, confirmed that arrests were made in the Central, Bono, and Ashanti Regions, with three suspects picked up in the Central Region, two in the Bono Region, and two in the Ashanti Region. Five of the seven were found with mobile phones inside examination halls, which were allegedly used to photograph question papers and circulate them on WhatsApp platforms. Some suspects allegedly used ChatGPT to generate answers that were then dictated to candidates. One additional suspect was caught distributing prepared answers, while another was arrested for duplicating answer sheets for circulation. All seven have been handed over to the police.

"I think they are enticed by monetary considerations; otherwise, I wouldn't understand why anybody would want to do this even after all the warnings," Kapi stated.

Beyond the arrests, WAEC placed all 619,985 candidates on notice that assaulting or threatening an invigilator carries a lifetime ban from all future Council examinations, cancellation of all subject results, and potential criminal prosecution. The 2026 candidature includes 304,273 male and 315,712 female candidates from 20,390 schools, representing an increase of 16,657 over last year's figure of 603,328. An additional 156 candidates from Togo and Benin are sitting the examination at a designated centre in Ghana. A total of 21,791 invigilators have been deployed across all venues.

Bono, Ahafo and Bono East Regional Controller Daniel Nii Dodoo was unequivocal. "Every invigilator on duty deserves to work in a safe environment. Any candidate who threatens that safety will face the full consequences of our regulations," he warned.

Mobile phones and all unauthorised materials have been banned from examination centres. Script theft, submitting multiple answer booklets, possessing more than one question paper, and collusion between candidates will all attract sanctions up to and including legal action.

The Ghana Education Service Director General, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, disclosed that all supervisors and invigilators under investigation for alleged involvement in last year's BECE have been barred from participating in the 2026 edition.

WAEC has deployed additional personnel drawn from its Accra headquarters and regional offices to strengthen oversight at centres across the country. "We are putting more people in the field to watch the watchmen and ensure these incidents are reduced to the barest minimum," Kapi added.

The examination runs until Monday, May 11, with two papers daily at 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM. WAEC urged parents, teachers, and community leaders to reinforce standards of conduct, stressing that success in the 2026 BECE must be built on discipline, integrity, and individual merit.