A total of 473,658 final-year senior high school (SHS) students in Ghana will join candidates 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 international format after five years of conducting a Ghana-only version, introduced following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ghanaian candidates include 248,461 males and 225,197 females from 1,020 public and private schools, representing a 2.58 percent increase over last year’s figure of 461,736. Liberia, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone will also participate in the examination.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, confirmed that preparations are underway, with printing of examination scripts already in progress. He explained that Ghana’s return means all WAEC member countries will now write the exams simultaneously, reinforcing regional integration in education assessment.
That is all, nothing has changed”.
Mr. Kapi emphasized the international character of the examinations, noting that all WAEC member countries are involved from the preparatory stages through to the final results. He explained that question moderation and compilation are jointly undertaken, with representatives from each country participating. After the exams, the same panel reconvenes to review marking schemes, agree on grading standards, and determine cut-off points for grades ranging from A1 to F9.
He added that this collaborative process ensures fairness and consistency across the region, while also supporting the “excellence awards” that recognize outstanding candidates. Unlike previous years when Ghana sat the WASSCE-SC ahead of other member states, he confirmed that all countries will now write the examination simultaneously, reinforcing its international scope.
The conditions, he said, remained the same and that nothing had changed. He added that all the countries had the same timetable and would therefore start and finish at the same time.
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. “Over the years, we have introduced a number of measures; we always want to be sure that the printing press is secured.
We do not want any personnel who are not assigned any duties to be there, so we have our own internal security who are supposed to be around always, even when we are not printing.
“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,” he said, adding, “for you to even go into the printing hall, there is a dress code, it does not matter who you are,” he said.
Mr. Kapi highlighted the extensive security measures surrounding the examination process. He noted that closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed within and around the printing facility, while security personnel guard the examination depots where scripts are stored in sealed plastic bags. In addition to examination officials, National Security operatives and police officers conduct regular monitoring across centres to deter malpractice.
“In terms of security, we have put in place adequate measures. From the human point of view, this is what we can do, but stakeholders—teachers, students, parents, guardians, and opinion leaders—must also play their part to ensure the examinations are free from malpractice,” he stressed.
Mr. Kapi cautioned that examination malpractice could pose a national security risk, warning that candidates who cheat risk carrying such habits into life. As part of preventive measures, he revealed that WAEC will adopt serialisation of questions, a system he said significantly reduces opportunities for cheating.
Source: Emmanuel Bonney
