The Northern Regional Education Directorate has deployed 1,453 examination officials across 132 centres to oversee the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), as 37,111 candidates from 808 schools sit their papers this week.
The deployment includes 132 supervisors, 130 assistant supervisors and 1,321 invigilators, all working in collaboration with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to ensure a credible process. Regional Director Alhassan Alidu Jr. said officials found aiding malpractice would face the full force of the law, echoing a national crackdown that has already sent eight examination officials to jail for offences committed during last year’s BECE.
Of the 37,111 Northern Region candidates, 33,329 are from public schools and 3,782 from private institutions. Male candidates from public schools number 17,209, compared to 16,120 females. Private school entries show a slight gender reversal, with 1,965 females against 1,817 males.
Nationally, 620,141 candidates from 20,395 schools are writing the examination, which runs from May 4 to May 11, 2026. Ghana Education Service (GES) Director-General Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis said the figure represents a 2.7 percent increase over last year, comprising 304,349 boys and 315,792 girls.
Prof. Davis disclosed that beyond the eight jailed officials, 10 others were fined between 100 and 200 penalty units, translating to approximately GH₵5,000 each. A further 46 cases remain under processing. Mobile phone-related offences topped the list, accounting for 17 of the recorded violations, while 13 involved distribution of prepared answers.
The GES boss warned that supervisors linked to last year’s malpractice cases are banned from all examination centres this cycle. He stressed that cheating distorts national assessments of student learning and risks corrupting the very data policymakers use to shape education strategy.
Alidu urged candidates to reject leaked questions, known locally as “apor,” and approach each paper with confidence grounded in honest preparation. He called on parents, teachers, security agencies and community leaders to support the integrity of the process.
