By Lawrence Odoom/Phalonzy
The Ghana Education Service has issued an uncompromising edict to candidates preparing for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination: examination malpractice, colloquially known as “apor,” will not be countenanced.
Addressing the media on Thursday, April 30, GES Director-General Ernest Kofi Davis admonished candidates to anchor their success solely in diligent preparation, affirming that the Service has instituted “stringent measures to clamp down on cheating across all examination centres.”
Mr. Davis sought to allay anxiety among candidates, assuring them that “the examination questions would be drawn strictly from the approved syllabus,” while urging composure and self-reliance.
He issued a stern caution that “candidates should not expect any external assistance, as authorities will enforce strict supervision to uphold the integrity of the exams.”
The 2026 BECE will see a record cohort of 620,141 candidates from 20,395 schools nationwide — 304,349 boys and 315,792 girls. The figure marks “an increase of 16,813 candidates, or 2.7%, compared to the 603,328 candidates who sat for the examination in 2025.”
In a decisive move to sanitize the examination ecosystem, GES has barred “all supervisors and invigilators implicated in malpractice during the 2025 BECE, particularly those still under investigation.”
“The Service says such individuals will not be allowed to participate in any capacity in this year’s examination process.”
The directive, according to GES, is part of “broader efforts to restore confidence in the examination system and ensure fairness for all candidates.”