GES gives date for conduct of 2026 BECE and WASSCE for School

The management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced the date the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) will administer the 2026 edition of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School and Private for final-year Junior High School (JHS) students.

In a letter addressed to Regional Directors of Education, sighted by Pretertiary.com, the Ghana Education Service (GES) stated that next year’s BECE for school and Private Candidates’ examination will take place from May 4, 2026, to May 11, 2026.

“The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) has been scheduled to take place from 4th May to 11th May, 2026,” the Service under the Ministry of Education said in a 2026 academic calendar for pre-tertiary basic schools.

The letter added that “GES wishes to remind all stakeholders that public holidays within the academic year are to be observed accordingly. In addition, a two-day mid-term break will be observed in each term for all basic schools.

All heads of schools, teachers, parents, and guardians are urged to take note of these dates and ensure adequate preparation for a smooth and effective academic year.

Management also wishes to thank all school heads, teachers, parents, students, and all stakeholders for the dedication and hard work in ensuring a successful 2024/2025 academic year, which ends on Thursday, 24th July, 2025.”

The letter, signed by the Head of Public Relations Unit at the Ghana Education Service, Daneil Fenyi, called for timely preparation for the national examination to be administered by the West African Examinations Council.

The management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has therefore instructed Regional Directors of Education to inform  Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Directors of Education of the latest developments about the 2026 BECE

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 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 (BECE) for School and Private is expected to communicate the registration period to school heads at a later date.

For the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School, the Ghana Education Service (GES) said the International examination will be conducted from April 20, 2026, to June 20, 2026.

In other news, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has urged final-year Senior High School (SHS) students to prepare for the West African WASSCE for School, to be conducted in May/June, rather than the Ghana-only version of the examination.

This comes after the management of GES said Ghana is shifting from the Ghana version of the WASSCE to the International WASSCE next academic year. This means Ghana will join the five English-speaking member countries of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to write the examination in May/June.

“As Ghana moves away from the Ghana-only WASSCE introduced under the previous administration to take the international WASSCE, written by all West African member countries in May/June 2026, the management of GES admonishes students to prepare very well for the examination,” GES stated.

The statement, signed by its Head of Public Relations, said, “GES will continue to work closely with all stakeholders- heads of schools, teachers, students, parents, communities, Civil Society Organisations and WAEC to improve teaching and learning and the integrity of the examination.”

Relatedly, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, has confirmed to the Daily Graphic that Ghana will join four other West African countries for the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates (WASSCE-SC) this year.

“Yes, we are returning to the international exams, so we are writing May/June with the other West African countries,” he emphasised, saying preparations for the West African WASSCE started last year.

Speaking to Graphic on the sidelines of the 2025 WAEC Distinction Awards last Thursday, Prof. Davis indicated that schools across the country had been informed to prepare candidates for the examination.

“That is our hope, that is our belief. We are encouraging our students to do their best to continue to keep Ghana in the limelight,” he said.

With Ghana’s return to international examinations, the GES Director-General has advised candidates against all forms of examination malpractice and urged them to study so that their results reflect their true academic capabilities.

“They should work hard; they can do it. So, we admonish them to study very hard and then do their best in the exams, and then success would definitely be theirs.

We are encouraging the teachers to support them to prepare very well to pass their exams and pass very well by themselves,” Professor Kofi Davis said.