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More than 600,000 students across Ghana are starting the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) today, June 11. The exams will run until Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
A total of 603,328 candidates, made up of 297,250 boys and 306,078 girls, have registered for the exams. This represents a 5.99 percent increase from last year’s figure of 569,236. These students are the first batch expected to benefit from the new government’s Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy.
In addition, 1,661 private candidates, comprising 858 males and 803 females, are also participating. This marks a 19.49 percent increase from the 2024 figure of 1,390.
The exams for school candidates are taking place at 2,237 centres across the country, while 15 centres, mostly in regional capitals, have been designated for private candidates.
Each day, candidates will sit for two papers at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., covering an average of nine out of eleven subjects. These include English Language, Mathematics, Science, Ghanaian Language, Social Studies, Religious and Moral Education, Creative Arts and Design, and Career Technology.
At a press briefing in Accra, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, said timetables and examination materials had already been distributed to the various metropolitan and district education offices. He confirmed that both school and private candidates will write the same set of questions.
School candidates will take the exams at their respective schools, while private candidates will write theirs in Tema, Gambaga, and other regional capitals.
To ensure the integrity of the examination, supervision will be carried out jointly by the GES, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), and the Ghana Police Service.
Professor Davis issued a stern warning to invigilators and supervisors against any form of malpractice.
“Anyone caught will be severely punished. I repeat, it might cost them their job because we want good role models,” he stated.
He stressed that examination malpractice undermines the entire educational system and prevents a true assessment of students’ abilities.
“We don’t want students who have excelled by cheating their way through. That is not the quality and the kind of students Ghana needs,” he added.
He thanked teachers, headteachers, and parents for their support and encouraged candidates to trust in their preparation and abilities.
“I know they can make it if they apply themselves to their books and prepare very well for the exam. I wish all my students all the best in the 2025 BECE,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, WAEC announced that, as with the 2024 exams, school candidates and some private candidates will be assessed based on the core curriculum, while others will write exams based on the old syllabus. This will be the final year for private candidates to write the old syllabus.
The council also indicated that it has made necessary adjustments to ensure inclusiveness for candidates with special educational needs.
In a statement signed by WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, the council reassured all stakeholders that no child will be left behind in the conduct of the examination.
It also reminded the public of the revised rules and regulations for dealing with examination irregularities, which have been in effect since 2023. These include rules against writing on the body or clothing, sharing exam questions online, obstructing access to school premises, misconduct by examination officials, and multiple registration of candidates across public and private schools.
