By: Patrick Hinga George, Public Education Officer, ACC
Sierra Leone’s fight against corruption may ultimately be won or lost not only in government offices, procurement processes and public institutions, but also in its classrooms and examination halls.
This is one of the compelling messages emerging from the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) monitoring of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Kenema and Kailahun Districts.
The exercise uncovered disturbing practices, including candidates possessing smartphones containing examination-related materials and prepared answers, photocopied answers, removal of live examination question papers from centres, answers written on blackboards, weak supervision, unauthorised persons around examination centres and inadequate security arrangements.
These findings raise a fundamental question: what happens to national integrity when dishonesty becomes a pathway to academic qualification?
Examination malpractice must not be viewed merely as pupils cheating to obtain better grades. It is an integrity problem with consequences extending beyond the examination hall. A candidate who obtains a qualification through dishonest means may eventually enter a university, profession, public institution or position of responsibility carrying credentials that do not accurately reflect his or her competence.
This concern is particularly important given Sierra Leone’s significant investment in education. Since the launch of the Free Quality School Education programme in 2018, Government has expanded access to education. But access alone is not enough. Quality education must be supported by credible assessment systems that establish what learners genuinely know and can do.
The Anti-Corruption Act, as amended in 2019, provides a legal basis for intervention. Section 128(3) criminalises corrupt activity or practice in a programme organised or conducted by an educational institution or examination body where such conduct is intended to confer an advantage on oneself or another person.
The findings from the ACC monitoring demonstrate the seriousness of the challenge. During WASSCE, personnel recovered 107 mobile phones from candidates, some containing examination-related materials, prepared answers, literature and WhatsApp conversations connected to examinations.
Significant quantities of photocopied prepared answers were also recovered during WASSCE and BECE. In some rooms, several candidates possessed similar materials, raising concerns that malpractice may extend beyond isolated acts by individual candidates. Some candidates alleged that money had been paid to obtain prepared answers. While these allegations require verification, they highlight the need to remain alert to possible organised facilitation of malpractice.
Equally concerning was the unauthorised removal of examination question papers while examinations were in progress. During WASSCE, the Commission recovered eight question papers in Kenema District and two in Kailahun District that had allegedly been removed from examination centres. During BECE, another three question papers were recovered in Kenema District under similar circumstances.
The apparent purpose was to enable persons outside examination centres to prepare answers for transmission back to candidates. Such conduct goes beyond individual cheating and raises serious concerns about examination security, supervision and possible networks of facilitation.
The conduct of some examination officials also attracted attention. Some invigilators were found with mobile phones, with certain devices containing examination-related information. The ACC collected 28 mobile phones from teachers and invigilators, which were subsequently returned after the relevant examination sessions with strict warnings against taking phones into examination halls.
This is particularly concerning because invigilators and supervisors occupy positions of trust. Where persons entrusted with protecting examination integrity become negligent, compromised or involved in malpractice, the entire control system becomes vulnerable.
Weak security arrangements and the presence of unauthorised persons around some centres created additional risks. At certain centres, a single security officer was expected to cover numerous examination rooms, in some cases more than twenty classrooms, making effective access control and monitoring difficult.
Technology has further transformed the nature of examination malpractice. Smartphones and instant messaging applications now allow examination-related information to move between examination halls and the outside world within seconds. Examination authorities must therefore recognise technology-enabled malpractice as a major integrity risk and consistently enforce restrictions on unauthorised electronic devices.
There is, however, a deeper national lesson. Corruption does not necessarily begin when someone enters public office or assumes control of public resources. Integrity is developed much earlier.
When young people learn that rules can be circumvented, answers can be bought and dishonest assistance can produce success, a dangerous ethical culture is created. Conversely, when students understand that success must be earned through preparation, discipline and merit, education becomes one of society’s strongest instruments for building integrity.
The fight against corruption must therefore reach the classroom. Sierra Leone cannot aspire to build transparent and accountable institutions while allowing dishonesty to become normalised within systems responsible for educating and certifying future generations. Examination malpractice embodies the pursuit of unfair advantage through dishonest means; the very behaviour anti-corruption interventions seek to confront.
Addressing the problem requires collective responsibility involving the ACC, WAEC, education authorities, security institutions, teachers, parents, civil society, the media and communities. Mobile-phone restrictions must be strictly enforced, examination papers securely controlled, invigilators and supervisors properly trained and held accountable, access to examination centres restricted and security deployment strengthened.
Prevention must also begin long before examination day. Candidates should understand that examination malpractice undermines learning and the credibility of their qualifications. Parents must recognise that helping children cheat does not help them succeed, while teachers have a special responsibility to shape both knowledge and character.
The integrity of public examinations is ultimately about much more than grades. It is about whether universities can trust certificates, employers can rely on academic credentials and future professionals possess the competence their qualifications represent.
The ACC’s monitoring in Kenema and Kailahun must therefore be viewed as more than an intervention against cheating. It forms part of the wider effort to embed integrity within Sierra Leone’s education and national development systems.
If the country expects tomorrow’s public servants, professionals, business leaders and decision-makers to reject corruption, today’s learners must understand that achievement comes through knowledge, hard work and merit; not manipulation, collusion or unfair advantage.
Protecting the integrity of public examinations is therefore not merely an educational responsibility; it is an anti-corruption imperative and an investment in Sierra Leone’s human capital, credibility and future.
