The Educate Africa Institute (EAI) has issued a strong warning over the future credibility of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), citing alarming levels of examination malpractice during the ongoing 2025 examinations for school candidates.

According to reports from the West African Examinations Council’s (WAEC) own monitoring teams, cases of widespread cheating allegedly involving candidates, invigilators and some school staff, have been uncovered at multiple examination centers.

EAI says this trend threatens to erode public trust in WAEC’s certificates, which have long been a gateway to higher education and employment opportunities both locally and internationally.

“If these trends persist, the WAEC certificate risks becoming globally irrelevant,” said William Boadi, Executive Director of EAI.

“Some international universities are already reconsidering their acceptance of WAEC results, and candidates may soon be required to sit for additional entrance exams before being admitted abroad.

"This poses a significant threat to the academic mobility and competitiveness of African students.”

The education think tank further criticized WAEC’s longstanding monopoly on school-leaving examinations in the subregion, arguing that decades of unchallenged control have led to complacency, weak accountability and limited innovation.

EAI is calling for the creation of a new, independent examination body to either complement or replace WAEC, with the aim of improving transparency, raising standards and restoring confidence in the region’s education system.

“The time has come for bold reforms to safeguard the future of African education. WAEC must reform or be replaced,” Boadi stressed.

In its statement, EAI confirmed that copies of its recommendations have been forwarded to key education stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, the Council of State and the National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA).

The organization is urging urgent action to address what it describes as a “crisis in educational integrity.”