The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has handed over twenty persons to the police for aiding and abetting examination malpractice in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The Head, National Office (HNO) of council, Mr. Patrick Areghan, made the disclosure to newsmen while monitoring the exercise in some schools on Thursday in Lagos.
He further disclosed that the suspects were apprehended in various parts of the country, adding that they had been handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.
According to him, those appreneded include a school proprietor, a school principal, teachers, exams supervisors and invigilators.
He described the act as a monumental disgrace.
Areghan, who vowed that the council would do everything possible to ensure that their prosecution was followed to logical conclusion, said: “The issue of examination malpractice can no longer be treated with kid gloves.
“It is no longer business as usual, as it has completely eroded morals and values in our society. It is taking a dangerous dimension, of which, if not tackled will bring our country to its knees.
“Now, since the commencement of this examination, we have deployed our technology, designed to catch examination cheats and we are happy at the results we have gotten so far.
“For instance, in Ibadan, Oyo, where we have our zonal office, which takes care of Osun, Kwara and Oyo itself, we made three arrests in a school and for the purpose of confidentiality, I will not mention the name.
“There, a supervisor at a centre, principal and invigilator were all arrested. They were arrested for allegedly snapping and posting the questions to some platforms, thereby, aiding and abetting examination malpractices.’’
Explaining further, he said: “In Maiduguri, a supervisor and principal of a school, were both arrested and handed over to the police too. In Umuahia, a teacher and a supervisor were arrested in a particular school and they have been handed over to the police.
“In Abeokuta, a school proprietor was the first to be caught at the beginning of this examination on May 8, snapping and posting question papers.
“The same situation was also recorded at Osogbo, where a principal, invigilator and chief supervisor were arrested for the same offence. In Kaduna too, a supervisor and an examination official in a school were caught in the act. The affected school in Kaduna was supposed to be in Kano, but was ceded because it was closer to Kaduna.
“I am assuring everyone that the arrests would continue until the end of the examination. So, I advise the candidates not allow their future to be compromised by persons who did not wish them well, by promising to assist them pass their examination through illegal means. WAEC’s examinations could never be accessed illegally.
“All of the culprits caught in the act might have been paid by the unsuspecting candidates and their parents with a promise to assist them pass the examination.
“I want to counter this statement that some people are fond of making, which is that our examination questions always leak. That does not exist. Our examination is always safe and secured until they get to the candidates in the hall.
“The WAEC examination questions don’t leak, so I am cautioning the media to stop using the word ‘leak.’ What actually happens is that, once the examination is about to start, we give the question papers to the supervisors, one hour before commencement, so that they can travel from the collection point, to the various schools, where they will administer the examination.
“What happens? Immediately they get to the exam hall, they will open the pack in the name of distributing to candidates and they will snap and post to various designated platforms – WhatsApp, Instagram and others. Such persons are members of a syndicate group who collect money.
“I am saying this that once the examination is already in progress, anyone that takes pictures of the papers and posts will be detected. The council has a method of detecting who snaps, who posts, who it is posted to and which candidate’s question booklet is posted.
“That is when the council swings into action by rounding all of them up and subsequently handing them over to the police.”
Areghan also explained to journalists that “you have been following me around for this monitoring. You saw me telling these children that they will hardly have time to access any materials snapped and posted on any platforms because they are already in the hall writing the examination.
“From what we have seen so far today at the schools we visited, I will say that the examination has been going on smoothly. There has not been any challenge beyond our control.
“Of course you will come across persons who will want to prove smart by cutting corners and trying to get things done unethically, but we have been able to beat them to it.
“There are though, some that we do not bother ourselves with, as we will deal with such administratively.”
