A total of 619,985 candidates are set to sit for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), which will take place from Monday, May 4 to Monday, May 11, 2026, across Ghana.
According to John K. Kapi, Head of Public Affairs at the West African Examinations Council, 304,273 of the candidates are males, while 315,712 are females.
The candidates, drawn from 20,784 schools nationwide, will write eleven subjects at 2,302 examination centres.
Mr Kapi stated that the rules governing the examination remain unchanged and urged candidates to be punctual.
“No candidate should go to the examination hall late,” he said.
He further emphasised that mobile phones and electronic devices, including smartwatches, are strictly prohibited in examination halls.
“They should not carry any foreign material on them,” he stressed.
He also cautioned teachers without official roles in the examination process to stay away from the centres.
“No teacher should attempt to offer assistance to any candidate at the examination centres. Any teacher who falls foul of the law will be dealt with,” he warned.
Regionally, the Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of candidates, with 124,905 from 3,383 schools writing at 444 centres. The Greater Accra Region follows with 114,243 candidates from 3,295 schools across 443 centres.
Other regions include the Central Region with 69,496 candidates, the Eastern Region with 56,700 candidates, and the Western Region with 45,457 candidates.
The Northern Region has 37,308 candidates, while the Volta Region recorded 30,055 candidates. The Bono Region presented 24,984 candidates, and the Upper East Region has 22,449 candidates.
The Bono East Region recorded 20,897 candidates, while the Western North Region has 17,372 candidates. The Upper West Region presented 14,928 candidates.
Meanwhile, the Oti Region has 12,401 candidates and the Ahafo Region recorded 12,578 candidates. The North East Region has 10,033 candidates, while the Savannah Region recorded the lowest figure of 6,989 candidates.
The BECE serves as a key requirement for final-year Junior High School students to progress to Senior High Schools and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Ghana.
Final results are computed based on Continuous Assessment, which contributes 30 per cent, and the external examination, which accounts for the remaining 70 per cent.
