Over 500,000 SHS students begin 2026 WASSCE today

The 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is set to commence in Ghana, with over 500,000 final-year Senior High School students participating, beginning with the Oral English paper.

This year's examination marks Ghana's return to the regional WASSCE system, alongside other West African countries, after several years of separate papers due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has assured that all necessary preparations have been completed to ensure a seamless examination process nationwide.

According to John Kapi, WAEC's Head of Public Affairs, measures have been put in place to safeguard the exams' integrity, including delayed printing of question papers for security reasons.

'We are on track with our preparations. We delayed printing the exam papers for security reasons to prevent them from being compromised,' he said.

Mr Kapi has given assurance to candidates, parents, and schools that examination materials for all centres have been prepared and will be delivered as scheduled.

"Each institution has the necessary materials for the exams. We are certain that we will meet the deadline, and thus, we will work with the provided timetable," he stated.

WAEC has strengthened its efforts in recent years to combat examination malpractice by implementing tighter security measures, enhanced monitoring, and cooperation with security agencies.

The examination will be held across multiple centres nationwide, with candidates taking a range of core and elective subjects over the coming weeks.