A total of 619,985 final-year Junior High School (JHS) candidates will, from today, sit this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School Candidates across the country.
An additional 156 candidates from Togo and Benin will also take part in the examination, which is scheduled to end on Monday, May 11, 2026.
This brings the total number of candidates for the 2026 examination to 620,141, according to statistics released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to Graphic Online.
The candidates are drawn from 20,390 public and private schools, with the examination being conducted at 2,302 centres nationwide.
Five schools from Togo and Benin participating in the examination will write their papers at a single centre. WAEC explained that these schools follow Ghana’s curriculum and are therefore eligible to sit the BECE.
Statistics
Out of the 619,985 candidates in Ghana, 304,273 are male, while 315,712 are female.
A total of 2,303 supervisors, 2,070 assistant supervisors, and 21,791 invigilators have been deployed for the exercise.
The number of candidates this year represents an increase of 16,657 compared to last year’s figure of 603,328.
Regional breakdown
The Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of candidates, with 124,095 (61,119 males and 62,976 females) from 3,277 schools writing the examination at 444 centres.
The Greater Accra Region follows with 114,243 candidates (54,713 males and 59,530 females) from 3,987 schools, taking the examination at 443 centres.
In the Central Region, 69,496 candidates (34,463 males and 35,033 females) from 2,528 schools will sit the examination at 247 centres.
The Eastern Region has 56,700 candidates (28,287 males and 28,413 females) from 2,169 schools writing at 211 centres.
In the Western Region, 45,457 candidates (22,159 males and 23,298 females) from 1,420 schools will sit the examination at 154 centres.
Other regions
The Northern Region has 37,308 candidates (19,657 males and 17,651 females) from 784 schools writing at 132 centres.
The Volta Region will present 30,055 candidates (14,756 males and 15,299 females) from 1,200 schools at 118 centres.
In the Bono Region, 24,984 candidates (12,244 males and 12,740 females) from 813 schools will sit the examination at 88 centres.
The Upper East Region has 22,449 candidates (9,854 males and 12,595 females) from 749 schools writing at 94 centres.
The Bono East Region will present 20,897 candidates (10,149 males and 10,748 females) from 725 schools at 80 centres.
The Western North Region has 17,372 candidates (8,685 males and 8,687 females) at 83 centres, while the Upper West Region will have 14,982 candidates (6,706 males and 8,222 females) at 51 centres.
The Ahafo Region has 12,578 candidates (6,439 males and 6,139 females) writing at 50 centres.
The North East Region will present 10,033 candidates (5,100 males and 4,933 females) from 251 schools at 34 centres.
The Oti Region has 12,401 candidates (6,495 males and 5,907 females) from 495 schools writing at 47 centres.
The Savannah Region will present 6,989 candidates (3,448 males and 3,541 females) from 242 schools at 26 centres.
WAEC’s readiness
The West African Examinations Council says it is fully prepared to conduct the examination.
The Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, John Kapi, cautioned candidates and officials against examination malpractice, warning that offenders would face serious consequences.
“We have held briefing sessions with supervisors on what is expected of them and their conduct. We have started the process,” he said.
He added that examination materials had been distributed, with the remaining supplies being dispatched, and assured that all necessary arrangements had been put in place.
Source: Graphic Online
