Ghana rejoins regional WASSCE as 473,658 students prepare for 2026 exams

A total of 473,658 final-year senior high school students from Ghana are set to join their counterparts from four other West African countries to sit the 2026 May–June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates.

This marks Ghana’s return to the regional examination system after five years of administering a Ghana-only version due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The participating countries include Liberia, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, all of which are members of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The Ghanaian candidates comprise 248,461 males and 225,197 females drawn from 1,020 public and private second-cycle institutions across the country. This represents a 2.58 per cent increase over the 461,736 candidates who sat the examination in 2025.

The Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, John Kapi, disclosed these details during a media briefing with the Daily Graphic, where he outlined preparations for Ghana’s reintegration into the regional examination framework.

He explained that preparations are already underway, including the ongoing printing of examination materials under strict supervision.

“Simply, it means that we are all writing at the same time. That is all, nothing has changed,” he said, clarifying that the structure, content, and standards of the examination remain consistent despite the return to the international format.

Mr. Kapi emphasised that WASSCE is inherently international in nature, with all member countries actively involved in critical stages such as question setting, moderation, marking, and grading.

According to him, representatives from each member country participate in developing examination questions and determining marking schemes, ensuring fairness, standardisation, and comparability of results across the region.

He added that after marking, a separate panel convenes to determine grade boundaries—ranging from A1 to F9—based on candidate performance, while also identifying top-performing students for regional excellence awards.

He further explained that unlike recent years, when Ghana conducted its exams ahead of other countries, all WAEC member states will now operate under a unified timetable, starting and ending the examination simultaneously.

On security arrangements, Mr. Kapi assured that WAEC has strengthened its systems to protect the integrity of the examination process.

He revealed that the printing of examination materials is conducted under tight security, including 24-hour police presence and additional oversight from the National Investigations Bureau (BNI). Access to printing facilities is strictly controlled, with personnel required to adhere to specific protocols, including dress codes.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems have also been installed within and around printing facilities to enhance surveillance.

At examination depots, printed scripts are secured in sealed packages and guarded by security personnel, while monitoring teams are deployed to examination centres nationwide to detect and prevent malpractice.

Mr. Kapi noted that WAEC has also introduced measures such as the serialisation of examination questions, a system designed to minimise cheating by ensuring that candidates receive different versions of the same paper.

He stressed that maintaining the credibility of the examination requires collective responsibility, calling on teachers, students, parents, and community leaders to support efforts to eliminate malpractice.

“If you allow them to cheat at this stage, they may carry that behaviour into later stages of life,” he cautioned, describing examination malpractice as a potential national security concern.

The return to the regional WASSCE system is expected to restore competitive benchmarking among West African students and strengthen the credibility of the certification across member countries.