GCE Board Cracks Down on Exam Fraudsters Amid Concerns over Hashness of Penalties

The General Certificate of Examination(GCE) has issued a series of sanctions against fraudsters in the 2023 GCE session.

A total of 1,891 cases of incidents were recorded, with possession of pre-prepared answers, identity theft, use of mobile phones, or exchange of copies being some of the most common frauds.

Penalties for exam fraud range from one to three years of suspension with the cancellation of results. The GCE Board has warned that it will not tolerate any form of cheating and that those caught will be severely punished.

The Board has also urged students to be honest and to report any cases of suspected fraud to the authorities. It is important to ensure that the integrity of the GCE exams is maintained so that students can be confident that they are being assessed fairly.

This comes at a time when some Cameroonians have been raising concerns about the severity of the punishments meted out by the Exam Board. According to some, while cheating is not tolerated, the penalties are not commensurate with the crime.

“I do understand the importance of punishing those who cheat in exams. However, what I do not understand is the severity of the punishment dished out by the GCE Board. Handing someone a three-year ban is tantamount to destroying their lives. Six months should be the maximum, in my opinion,” a concerned Cameroonian told MMI.