3 WASSCE papers leak on social media

The recurring leakage of West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination papers is far from over as three of the papers in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) have leaked. Some students in the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions had access to the examination papers because between 12:00am midnight and 4:00a.m on the day the papers were written. The Oral English, Integrated Science and Social Studies papers have all leaked. There are also pictures on social media showing students copying answers. Whatsapp group The papers were circulated among some students mainly through social media showing students copying answers on their thighs. The papers were circulated among some students mainly through social media platforms particularly Whatsapp. A Whatsapp group chat with one Neezy Ranking, the administrator and alleged student of a first-class senior high school (SHS) in the Eastern Region, was one of the sources of the leaked papers. The Whatsapp group is named Lagadia- a term students use for leaked examination papers or what is also popularly referred to among student circles as “apor”. The group comes alive from 10.pm when the expectant students keep asking their source when the questions will be leaked. At dawn, the supplier of the papers sends the questions to the group using a MTN phone number. In one of the chats, Neezy Ranking, which is a nickname, appears to calm the nerves of his clients, saying in shorthand and pidgin English : “All my clients, jx relax and wait patiently for de laga…int science go drop ditto ditto,” to wit: “All my client, just relax and wait patiently for the leaked papers… the Integrated Science will appear ditto ditto.” “From my source he say by 2 a.m or 3 a.m he drop give me. He make late craa 4: 30 a.m”, meaning : “ My source says by 2 a.m or 3 a.m. he will send me the papers. Even if he is late, it will be 4. 30 a.m.” Indeed the questions appeared as assured, only that the question numbers were changed and some red herrings thrown in. In other instances , the questions were tweaked slightly with synonyms. In another chat, when the papers had finally arrived, Ranking told his group that they should start solving the questions, noting that two others that were sent earlier were past questions from 2007. Meanwhile sources at WAEC have confirmed that some officials had received reports about the leaked questions, probably from the hinterlands where the papers had been dispatched earlier. The sources, however indicated that the council was investigating the issue and would deal with the culprits. The Head of the Ghana National Office of WAEC, the Very Rev. Samuel Nii Nmai Ollennu, told the Junior Graphic in an interview last month that the Council has introduced new security measures to prevent the leakage of papers in all its examinations. He however refused to  divulge the measures because according to him, “we want to ensure the sanctity and credibility of our examinations” and it appears whichever syndicate is leaking the papers has found a way around the security measures. – – Source Graphic online