After one of its observers was brutally beaten at Accra's Santa Maria Senior High School, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) reports that it has made a formal police complaint.
The men's motivation for staging the attacks is unknown, however, according to WAEC, the officer's mobile phone and eyeglasses were harmed.
The Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, emphasized during a press conference on Friday that the Council is dedicated to guaranteeing the administration of reliable exams at all levels, despite the difficulties it encounters.
"We have a number of agents who are monitoring the test, and on Monday, September 12, 2022 at Santa Maria, one of the Council's commissioned monitoring agents was beaten by a group of five people after watching the exam at Santa Maria Senior High School.
He received a violent beating and had his glasses and phone broken. Investigations are still going on, she added, adding that the incident has been reported to the Anyaa Police Station.
Following information on programs by schools to assist its students in cheating on the exam, WAEC has in the meanwhile sent warning letters to 34 schools across the nation.
The West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) examination authority has so far referred to the Police 23 suspected incidents of impersonation.
The Council described the development as concerning and highlighted that since school administrators fail to recognize those "unwanted" persons in the test halls, such occurrences have risen in this year's assessment.
Six schools had a total of reported occurrences of impersonation as of Friday, September 16.
15 instances were reported at Prince Boateng SHS in Nsawam, three at Vicar Trust SHS in Kasoa, and two at St. John SHS in Asante Bekwai.
Mococo SHS, Nkawkaw, Winners SHS, Nkawkaw, Sunyani Business College, and each of them documented one instance.
To "weed out any impersonators even before they are permitted inside the examination room," Agnes Teye-Cudjoe warned school administrators.
She continued by saying that there are several instances of syndicated cheating at schools, in which teachers demand payment from applicants and give them the answers in the test rooms.