The 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) begins nationwide today, May 4, and will end on Monday, May 11, 2026, with more than 620,000 candidates expected to participate.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says a total of 620,141 candidates from 20,395 schools are sitting for the examination, made up of 304,349 boys and 315,792 girls. This marks a 2.7 per cent increase compared to the 603,328 candidates who took part in the 2025 examination.
To ensure effective monitoring, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has deployed 21,791 vetted invigilators across examination centres nationwide.
Director-General of GES, Prof. Ernest Davis, has assured the public that adequate preparations have been made to ensure a smooth and credible examination process. He noted that the removal of compromised officials is part of efforts to uphold integrity.
As part of measures to curb malpractice, GES has also conducted a nationwide sensitisation campaign across all 16 regions to educate candidates, teachers and parents on the consequences of examination misconduct.
In addition, teachers and invigilators who were implicated in malpractice during the 2025 BECE have been barred from participating in this year’s examination exercise.
