Sanctions are beginning to fall on baccalaureate candidates suspected of fraud. Several have appeared before the courts. Baccalaureate exam candidates and individuals who took exams in their place have been incarcerated in Ambilobe and Tsiroanomandidy. "The court placed them in preventive detention for forgery and use of forged documents," sources in these two cities reported yesterday.

In Ambilobe, seven people, including four registered exam candidates, appeared before the tribunal. Two candidates caught red-handed cheating with crib sheets during the exams were placed under judicial supervision. The other two were held in preventive detention for forgery and use of forged documents after having someone take their place during the exams. Their substitutes, as well as a third person suspected of facilitating identity fraud, were also incarcerated.

"The imposters presented themselves at the exam with the national identity cards of the candidates, after replacing the identity photographs with their own," explains a source in Ambilobe.

Administrative Sanctions

In Tsiroanomandidy, a fake candidate was also jailed. The candidate she was replacing is still being sought by law enforcement. She also faces criminal penalties.

In Antananarivo, candidates caught red-handed committing fraud during exams also risk administrative sanctions. "Regarding the University of Antananarivo, those involved will appear before the disciplinary council [Codis]," states an official from the institution. The date of this appearance has not yet been set.

Several irregularities were noted at the beginning of the 2026 baccalaureate session, according to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. They mainly concern candidate substitutions as well as fraud involving the use of phones and connected devices in exam rooms, despite these being strictly prohibited.

According to the ministry, candidates caught red-handed committing fraud face a ban from participating in official exams for one to five years. These administrative sanctions do not exclude possible prison sentences.

Deliberation Scheduled for August 21

Baccalaureate results in the Antananarivo region should be known in just under a month. According to a source within the University of Antananarivo, deliberation is scheduled for August 21 and will be followed by the posting of results.

The publication schedule varies by province and depends notably on the number of candidates. The correction process is currently underway. Corrections for the general baccalaureate should be completed this week, according to several correctors, while technical and technological baccalaureate exams end on July 30.