Pru East Member of Parliament (MP), Emmanuel Kwaku Boam, has slammed the previous Akufo-Addo government for allegedly enabling examination malpractice during the WASSCE to inflate pass rates under the Free SHS programme.
Boam claims candidates were charged “examination support levies” and allowed to use mobile phones and other gadgets in exam halls, allegedly to bolster the government’s education initiative.
Speaking to the media on December 2, 2025, he stated that the government’s actions were aimed at countering criticism that the Free SHS had compromised the quality of education.
“There hasn’t been any organised and well-orchestrated examination malpractice than what we saw under the past government,” he said. “It was properly coordinated between institutions that were compelled to align.”
He asserted that headteachers were rated solely on their schools’ performance at the WASSCE, and threatened of dismissal should their schools underperform at the exam, despite the inadequate logistical and infrastructural support from the government.
“How do you tie the rating of schools to WASSCE results and threaten headteachers with removal when they lack the basic resources to run their institutions?” he asked.
He further alleged that teachers were solving exam questions for candidates for a fee, where invigilators were contracted for the onward distribution of these answers to the students.
“The system was so compromised that students were asked to pay money for examination support, and you had groups of teachers solving questions elsewhere and passing them on to invigilators,” he alleged.
The legislator wants the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, to establish a commission of enquiry to probe the alleged malpractices at the time, and the impact it is having on the integrity of the nation’s education system.
WASSCE 2025: Pass rate could go up if scripts under investigation are cleared – WAEC
