WAEC and the Intelligence Unit of National Security have arrested two persons for illegal registration of 2024 WASSCE candidates.
The suspects, identified as Robert Hackman, 37, a private teacher from Agona Swedru, and Kwabena Baah Achemfour, 54, a part-time teacher at Kenyasi SDA Senior High School, were intercepted while attempting to register ineligible candidates.
The illegal WASSCE registration was orchestrated by Hackman and predominantly targeted individuals from various regions including Accra, Takoradi, Agona Swedru, Cape Coast, and Dunkwa-On-Offin. It was planned that the activities would later be shifted to Tapa Abotoase in the Biakoye District of the Oti Region.
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Hackman and Achemfour, who were acquainted during their time in Agona Nsaba, utilized social media platforms to recruit out-of-school individuals who had previously taken the WASSCE but either failed to meet the required grades or had their papers invalidated.
Armed with a biometric device bearing the serial number AY00T004145 and login code 93868278, a Lenovo laptop, and a set of school uniforms, the duo facilitated the registration process for the unqualified candidates.
John Kapi, the Public Relations Officer of WAEC, revealed that the illicit registration commenced on March 26, 2024, at Adishie Mma Preparatory School in Swedru. Hackman secured the cooperation of the school’s headmistress to utilize their ICT laboratory as a registration center.
However, their operation was short-lived as they were apprehended by the joint security team while in the process of registering the ineligible candidates. Investigations uncovered that the login code and uniform belonged to SDA Senior High School, Kenyasi.
Achemfour, under the guise of registering candidates for a non-existent institution named Divine College, charged each candidate GH¢6,000. He successfully registered 172 individuals, some of whom were assigned to fictitious schools like High Moral, OSBY College, His Majesty College, and Trinity College.
In response to the incident, the security team recommended the derecognition of SDA Senior High School, Kenyasi, as a WAEC examination center. This measure aims to curb illegal registrations and mitigate examination malpractice within the education sector.
Furthermore, candidates submitted by SDA SHS for WASSCE-SC 2024 are slated for scrutiny against enrollment lists. Those found to be illegally registered will either be barred from the examination or subjected to further investigation.
The swift action taken by the collaborative security team underscores the commitment to safeguarding the integrity of academic assessments and upholding standards in education.
