By: Belinda Nketia
A total of 461,640 final-year senior high school students across Ghana are sitting for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, according to the Ghana Education Service (GES).
The figure comprises of 207,381 males and 254,259 females, marking a slight increase of 0.2 percent compared to last year’s 460,611 candidates. The examination starts with practical project work in disciplines such as Basketry, Ceramics, Graphic Design, Jewellery, and Leatherwork, scheduled to run from August 5 2025 until August 22 2025.
Theory papers are expected to commence on August 20, 2025, with the entire exercise ending on September 19, 2025.
Candidates from 701 senior high schools will sit for the exams at 701 centres nationwide.
Each centre will be overseen by a supervisor, supported by 1,391 assistant supervisors and 15,391 invigilators.
The Ashanti Region has the highest number of candidates (115,982), followed by the Eastern Region (64,225), the Bono, Ahafo, and Bono East regions combined (61,773), and the Central Region (53,738).
Other candidate tallies include Greater Accra (45,877), Volta and Oti (35,539), Western and Western North (33,121), Northern, North East, and Savannah (29,652), Upper East (13,976), and Upper West (7,757).
Addressing a press briefing in Accra, Director-General of the GES, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davies, said the Service is working closely with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the security services to maintain law and order throughout the examination period.
Director-General of the GES, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davies.
He noted that additional security has been deployed to four conflict-prone schools whch are Nkwanta SHS, Bawku SHS, Nalerigu SHS, and Zuarungu SHS, to ensure smooth and incident-free participation.
Prof. Davies also cautioned candidates, invigilators, and supervisors against examination malpractice adding that offenders will face the full rigours of the law.
In a related development, the GES has released GH¢15.85 million to cover practical examination fees for all candidates. The funds, according to the Service’s Head of Public Relations, Daniel Fenyi, will provide essential materials and resources needed for the practicals, while easing the financial burden on parents and guardians.
Daniel Fenyi, Head of Public Relations, GES
The 2025 cohort is the fourth batch to take Ghana’s standalone WASSCE timetable, introduced after the COVID-19 pandemic, while other WAEC member states like Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia have reverted to their May/June schedule.
