Final-year Senior High School (SHS) students across Ghana have joined their counterparts in other West African countries to begin the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with Oral English marking the start of the exams today.
According to figures released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), a total of 509,862 candidates are expected to sit for this year’s examination nationwide. The candidates comprise 225,274 males and 284,588 females.
The 2026 examination process had already begun earlier with practical and project work in subjects such as Visual Arts and Home Economics.
Although Ghanaian candidates have in recent years written Oral English as a standalone paper, this year’s exercise is being conducted simultaneously across all member countries of the Council. The examination also signals the full return of member states to the traditional May–June academic calendar after disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, the examination calendar was shifted to July–September, while the 2021 edition was held between August and October. Following the disruptions, member countries including Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia worked to harmonise their academic calendars and restore the original timetable for the regional examination.
The Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of candidates, with 127,702 students, comprising 57,885 males and 69,817 females. The Eastern Region followed with 70,099 candidates, while the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions collectively accounted for 67,739 candidates.
The Central Region recorded 61,303 candidates, while the Greater Accra Region had 48,099 candidates. In the Volta Region, 41,622 candidates are expected to sit for the examination.
The Oti and Western North regions together accounted for 35,620 candidates. The Northern ecological zone, covering the Northern, North East and Savannah regions, recorded 33,155 candidates.
The Upper East Region had 15,192 candidates, while the Upper West Region recorded 9,249 candidates.
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