The integrity of the education system came under sharp focus on Thursday, September 4, 2025, after the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) shut down an examination centre in Kumasi following the discovery of widespread cheating during the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The incident occurred at the Adventist Day Senior High School in Kumasi, where WAEC officials uncovered what they described as “mass examination malpractice.”

In response, the council immediately shut down the centre and relocated all 936 candidates who were sitting for the English Language paper.

The affected students were moved to WAEC’s regional office in Kumasi, where they wrote the paper under strict supervision.

WAEC has not yet released official details of the malpractice, but the drastic action signals a zero-tolerance stance against cheating.

Education authorities say investigations are underway to determine the full scale of the breach and the parties involved.

Speaking on the matter, David Oppong, the Kumasi Metro Director of Education, warned that tolerance for malpractice in schools could jeopardize the future.

“The advice to the invigilators and supervisors is that they have to be extra careful,” he said.

“If we continue to allow and encourage these things in our schools, it means we are destroying the nation. So we will ensure that the code of conduct and the rules governing the examination are applied.”