In an unexpected turn of events, the official website of Ghana’s examining body, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) at waecgh.org at the time of this publication, has fallen victim to a hacking incident.
The breach occurred on the early morning of Monday, October 16, 2023, ahead of the release of the much-anticipated results of the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The perpetrators behind this cyber intrusion, have not only compromised the website but also transformed it into a casino-like platform for gambling activities.
The silence from WAEC’s management has left candidates and the public anxiously waiting for an official statement regarding the security of the previous results stored on the site’s servers.
The hack is particularly surprising given that, earlier in the month, WAEC had announced its plans to release the 2023 BECE results. The process leading to this release involves meticulous coordination and the dedicated efforts of numerous individuals:
Zonal/Team Leaders Coordination (2nd – 3rd October, 2023): WAEC’s team had begun the coordination phase in early October, where leaders and teams worked together to ensure a smooth and efficient evaluation process.
Assistant Examiners’ Contributions (4th – 6th October, 2023): A dedicated group of assistant examiners actively participated in the assessment process, offering their expertise to ensure accurate grading of examination scripts.
Marking Commences (9th – 23rd October, 2023): The heart of the evaluation process, marking of BECE scripts, is in full swing. A team of diligent examiners is rigorously evaluating and grading the papers to ensure fairness and accuracy in the results.
Amidst this backdrop, candidates, their parents, and teachers eagerly await the release of the BECE results for 2023.
The BECE examination this year saw the participation of an astounding 18,983 schools. To ensure the integrity of the examination process, a total of 2,137 examination centers were established, staffed by 2,137 supervisors and 2,000 assistant supervisors.
An extensive team of 21,027 invigilators worked tirelessly to oversee the examination across all 16 regions of Ghana, ensuring that the examination was conducted fairly and without any incidents.
We hope that this unfortunate hacking incident will not overshadow the hard work and achievements of the candidates, and that the release of their results will be a moment of pride and celebration for all.
Source: GESHub.org
