A total of 5,653 candidates out of the 409,711 who sat the 2013 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) were punished by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for various offences.

This is against the 3,439 candidates caught cheating in 2012, out of the 173,655 candidates who wrote the examinations; and 4,201 caught out of the 148,697 candidates in 2011.

According to statistics released to The Ghanaian Times by WAEC, the malpractices had increased at both the WASSCE and the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE), over the past three years.

During the period, 13,293 candidates cheated in the WASSCE while 2,314 were caught stealing in the BECE.

Statistics also showed that 1,395 candidates were involved in miscellaneous malpractices, 904 were recorded in 2013; 156 in 2012 and 335 in 2011.

Candidates were caught colluding with supervisors and invigilators, copying from each other, and sending foreign materials (notes, textbooks and calculators) into the examination halls.

There were also cases of impersonation and candidates having foreknowledge of the question papers.

The West African Examination Council sanctioned the culprits and in some instances their entire results have been cancelled while some of them were barred from taking any of the council’s examinations up to two years; and in some instances still, specific subject results cancelled.

This year, the similarities in the scripts of candidates detected or reported by supervisors and invigilators, were 3,408, compared to the 2,158 in 2012 and the 3,401 in 2011.

Forty-seven candidates were caught with mobile phones in examination halls, in 2013.

In the 2013 WASSCE, 4,879 subject results were cancelled, 747 candidates had their entire results cancelled, and 27, their entire results cancelled and barred from any of the WAEC examinations, up to two years.

Again in 2013, 1,293 candidates were caught with foreign materials while 2012 recorded 1,293 and in 2011, 447.

Last year, 3,217 subject results were cancelled; 219 entire results were cancelled and three candidates barred, in addition to the cancellation of their entire results; 28 headmasters, supervisors and invigilators were sanctioned and two school centres de-recognized.

In 2011, 4,013 candidates had their subject results cancelled; 188 had their entire results cancelled; six school centres were de-recognized and 30 headmasters, supervisors and invigilators recommended for sanctions.

The WAEC is mystified how candidates still enter examination halls with foreign materials under the strict watch of invigilators and supervisors.

According to WAEC, examination malpractices continue to be the greatest challenge to the credibility of academics in the country.

The WAEC conducts the WASSCE for high school candidates in Ghana, The Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The BECE is conducted for junior high schools in Ghana.