GES issues strict warning for 2025 BECE and WASSCE registrations

The Ghana Education Service following the announcement of the dates to conduct this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination and West African Senior School Certificate Examination has issued a warning regarding the BECE and WASSCE registration.
In a letter sighted by Pretertiary.com, the Education Service cautioned Heads of Basic and Senior High Schools to desist from registering unqualified candidates for the 2025 edition of the national and international examinations.
Signed by the Director of Schools and Instructions Division of GES, Mr Prince Charles Agyemang-Duah, the letter reiterated that only final-year students—JHS3 for BECE and SHS3 for WASSCE—can register for these examinations.
The letter emphasized that registering students from lower classes, such as JHS1/SHS1 and JHS2/SHS2, is a direct violation of the rules and regulations set by both GES and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
“Also, it is illegal for any head of public basic or senior high school to register Form 3 students from another school (public or private) to write the BECE or WASSCE,” the Ghana Education Service (GES) stated in the letter.
To ensure compliance, the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) disclosed that an audit will be conducted after the BECE and WASSCE registration process to verify the eligibility of all prospective candidates.
“Any student found to have been registered illegally will have their registration nullified by West African Examinations Council (WAEC).”
The letter concluded with a warning that heads of private and public pre-tertiary schools’ failure to comply with these directives would result in severe sanctions against offending school heads and individuals involved.
“Failure to comply with these directives will result in severe sanctions against the offending school heads and any individuals involved to serve as a deterrent to others,” the letter to Regional Directors of Education said.
Relatedly, the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has scheduled BECE for school candidates to take place from June 9 to 16, 2025, and the WASSCE for school candidates from August 4 to September 19, 2025.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) following the disclosure of the dates for the administration of the 2025 BECE and WASSCE for School Candidates called for timely preparation for the national and international examinations.
The management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has instructed Regional Directors of Education to inform Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Directors of Education of the latest developments about the BECE and WASSCE.
These officials are expected to inform heads of Basic and Senior High Schools across the country to ensure candidates are adequately prepared for the national and international School Candidates examinations.
The Service in Charge of Pre-tertiary education in the country has similarly urged all relevant stakeholders in the education sector to take note of the dates and make the necessary arrangements to support candidates.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) responsible for the conduct of the Basic Education Certificate and West African Senior School Certificate Examination is expected to communicate the registration period to school heads at a later date.