Education is the  life-long process of  acquiring  knowledge   and  skills  through  formal and  informal  exposure  to information,  ideas and  experience.  It is of paramount importance to all societies; hence students of formal education are normally awarded certificates in recognition of the achievements.  These certificates are to help society to place those who go through schooling in the various sectors of the economy. 

Certificates however, do not come out of the  blue they are  end products of  examinations  conducted in schools to asses the achievements  and progress  of students in forms  as practical,  written or oral.  

That formal education, like the informal, plays a vital role in the total development of any given community, country and the world as a whole, cannot be overemphasised.  Countries which want to develop, invest in the education sector so that their dreams may come to pass.  In Ghana today, it is estimated that about forty percent of the nation’s revenue is invested in education.  Helping the communities to achieve their hopes and dreams, education employs a system known as examination to evaluate and assess the progress of students, offer certificates to graduates and distribute these graduates among the various schools or sectors of the economy.  

Examinations, like every system set up by man or nature has, at least, a purpose, role or function to play. Examinations help institutions to place students in their rightful stages on the educational ladder and to employ people with the right skills and capabilities.  Through entrance examinations institutions are able to select the students for their programmes based on their performance.  Candidates adopt various forms of malpractices in examinations, especially, in external ones. 

Any activity of a candidate or a group of students aimed at giving them higher grades than they would probably have gotten on the bases of  their  own achievements in the  examination hall is  referred to as examination  malpractice.  

Examination malpractice  covers a  variety of  activities   such as taking long glance at a fellow students answer,  collusion between candidates to exchange information during the test, stealing  of test booklets in anticipation  that they may be used later,  arranging for a substitute to take an examination on ones behalf, writing on parts of the  candidates body, stealing or buying  copies  of  examination questions and  any other  activity  that  gives a  candidate an undue  advantage  over his or her colleagues.  

When  one  looks at the  frequent  occurrences of  examination malpractices in examination in Ghanaian schools, one wonders  whether the existing  measures adopted by the  school authorities  and  WAEC  to minimize the problem are adequate  enough.  It was stated recently that out of the  fifty five  thousand two hundred and eighty  two candidates who  sat  for the November SSS examination one  hundred and sixty one candidates had  their  results cancelled for a number of  examination malpractices.   

The  BECE is underway , it is our prayer that parents, teachers, government officials, chiefs and  the  good  people of Ghana will echo the  repercussions of  examination malpractices at home and beyond, so we  can see the  true  reflection of the   students.  Twenty percent focused effort products eighty percent result, and eighty percent unfocused efforts produce twenty percent results.  Good luck to all candidates and may success be your portion.