The West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) says all is set for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) which will begin from Monday, May 4 and end on Friday, May 11, 2026.
A total of six hundred and nineteen thousand, nine hundred and eight-five (619,985) candidates across the country have been registered for the examination.
Out of this number, three hundred and four thousand, two hundred and seventy-three (304,273) are males and three hundred and fifteen thousand and seven hundred and twelve (315,712) are females.
The examination marks a critical transition for Junior High School (JHS) students moving on to secondary education.
The week-long examination will see the school candidates write two papers daily at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively across two thousand three hundred and two (2,302) examination centers.
In all, the BECE comprises 11 subjects, with each candidate writing an average of nine, including seven common core courses – English Language, Mathematics, Science, a Ghanaian Language, Social Studies, Religious and Moral Education, and Creative Arts and Design, as well as Career Technology.
In an exclusive interview with Onua News, The Head of Public Affairs at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nr. John Kapi said examination materials will be dispatched to the various metropolitan and district education offices nationwide next week.
‘We are set, materials are ready and will be dispatched to the various metropolitan and district education offices nationwide next week’, he said.
On the budget for the examination, the PRO of WAEC stated that the normal practice is for the government to release 70% of the before the examination begins with the remaining the 30% remainder normally coming after the exams.
‘Government has released 70% of our budget, the 30% will be received after the exams which will cater for the marking of examination papers and others’, he said.
To ensure the integrity of the examination, Mr. John Kapi said supervision would be jointly conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) with support from the law enforcement agencies, particularly the Ghana Police Service.
He cautioned all stakeholders, especially invigilators and supervisors against aiding any form of examination malpractice.
“Anyone caught will be severely punished by WAEC Act 719’, he emphasised.
He also emphasised that examination malpractices undermine the education system and make it difficult to assess the true performance of students.
