A total of 620,141 candidates from 20,395 schools are expected to sit for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) beginning nationwide today.
The figure represents an increase of about 2.7 per cent over last year’s entry and comprises 304,349 boys and 315,792 girls.
The examination will be conducted at 2,303 centres across the country, supervised by 2,303 supervisors, with support from 2,070 assistant supervisors and 21,791 invigilators.
Each candidate is expected to write 11 subjects during the examination period.
According to the official timetable released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), candidates would on the opening day sit for English Language (Essay and Objective) and Religious and Moral Education (Essay and Objective).
Tomorrow, candidates will write Social Studies (Essay and Objective) and Creative Art and Design (Essay and Objective).
On Wednesday, May 6, the papers will be Science (Essay and Objective) and Career Technology (Essay and Objective), while Thursday, May 7, has Mathematics (Essay and Objective) and Ghanaian Language (Essay and Objective).
On Friday, candidates will take French (Essay and Objective) and Computing (Essay and Objective), with the final paper Arabic (Essay and Objective) scheduled for Monday, May 11.
WAEC has announced special arrangements for candidates with disabilities, granting them an additional 50 per cent of the time allocated to other candidates.
The arrangement, according to the council, was aimed at ensuring fairness and inclusivity in the examination process.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, has expressed concern over the persistent challenge of examination malpractice.
At a press conference last Thursday, he warned that such practices undermined the credibility of assessments and distort academic evaluation and education policy formulation.
He, therefore, urged candidates to desist from any form of cheating and adhere strictly to examination rules.
BY BERNARD BENGHAN
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