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The Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Francis Ben Kaifala, has raised serious concerns over what he described as a “grand conspiracy” involving school authorities, teachers, parents, pupils and some examination administrators, including the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), to undermine the integrity of Sierra Leone’s education system.
Kaifala made the disclosure on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, while speaking at the Government’s Special Civic Town Hall Meeting held at the Miatta Civic Conference Centre in Freetown.
The ACC Commissioner said the scale of examination malpractice became increasingly alarming when he returned to the Commission in 2018, describing himself as “genuinely shocked” by the volume, intensity, planning, coordination and execution of malpractice across the country.
According to him, the problem has moved beyond isolated cases of students cheating to what appears to be a coordinated system involving several stakeholders who are expected to protect the credibility of examinations.
“There’s an attack on the educational system on a massive scale by the coordination between principals, teachers, parents and pupils, and with some form of assistance of examination administrators, including WAEC,” Kaifala said.
He recalled that in 2018, the Commission discovered an examination hall along Abadin Road where students were allegedly taking examinations in the middle of the night. The examination papers, he said, were subsequently placed in examination packages and taken for marking.
Kaifala said the Commission reported the matter to the government because of the seriousness of the discovery.
He further noted that by 2019, the Commission was encountering more organised forms of examination malpractice, including activities associated with the so-called “Scorpion Squad”.
The Commissioner attributed the growing demand for examination malpractice partly to the intense pressure among parents to secure educational qualifications and future opportunities for their children.
He explained that many parents invest heavily in their children’s education through private schools, extra lessons and other forms of support, but some may become desperate when they believe their children cannot achieve the desired results through legitimate means.
According to Kaifala, this desperation creates a “demand” for examination malpractice, while teachers, school authorities, examination administrators and other actors allegedly constitute the “supply”.
He warned that the country is facing a serious national problem if the trend continues unchecked.
Kaifala stressed that examination malpractice should not be treated simply as an educational policy issue, arguing that deliberate acts of undermining the examination system require a law-enforcement response.
He called on stakeholders across sectors to work together, pool resources and take stronger measures to protect the integrity of examinations at all levels.
