WASSCE 2026: 473,658 to Sit for Exam as Ghana Joins Other West African Countries

• Ghanaian students are gearing up for the upcoming 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination
• Ghana is rejoining its West African counterparts for a united exam after pandemic-induced disruptions
• The West African Examination Council has said security measures are as tight for the exam preparations

A total of 473,658 final-year senior high school students will sit for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

The Ghanaian candidates comprise 248,461 males and 225,197 females from 1,020 public and private second-cycle schools.

Graphic Online reported that this represents a 2.58% increase over the 2025 figure of 461,736.

Ghana will also be rejoining Liberia, The Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone in taking the regional exam together.

Ghana had been taking its own version of the exam because of disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Head of Public Affairs of the West African Examinations Council, John Kapi, told Daily Graphic that the printing of the examination scripts was ongoing.

Read also

NIA to begin mass registration of children aged 6 to 14 from May

On security arrangements put in place, he said the council had, over the years, introduced various measures to ensure the sanctity and credibility of its examinations.

“When the printing process starts, we have police presence there 24/7, and during working hours, we have additional security from the National Investigations Bureau (BNI). So, at least these stages of security obviously would give us a certain feeling of security around the area."

Upcoming 2026 BECE

The West African Examinations Council is also preparing for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination.

The 2026 BECE is expected to take place from Monday, May 4 to Monday, May 11, 2026.

The exam is for the certification and selection into Senior High Schools and Technical Institutes in Ghana.

According to the council, candidates in the third year of Junior High Schools approved by the Ghana Education Service are eligible to register to take part in this examination.

BECE candidates will also now select their preferred senior high schools only after their results are released.

Read also

Julius Kwame Anthony: Young NDC communicator appointed as spokesperson for Interior Ministry

Non-JHS3 students to be barred from BECE

The government plans to bar students who have not progressed to Junior High School 3 from registering for the BECE.

The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, said this was part of plans to overhaul the country’s basic education system.

He told Joy FM that allowing such candidates to sit the examination contravenes established guidelines set by WAEC and the Ghana Education Service.

Iddrisu noted that the practice has contributed to persistently poor performance in BECE results over the years, as some candidates are not adequately prepared for the demands of the examination.

PRESEC old student the top business student

YEN.com.gh reported that Eric Aduamoah, a former student of Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School, Legon, was honoured as West Africa’s Best Business Student at the 2025 WAEC Distinction Awards.

The old student of the Legon school received the award for the top-performing Business candidate during the WASSCE for candidates across the sub-region.

Source: YEN.com.gh