WAEC releases 2026 BECE results and cancels results of 601 candidates for malpractice
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released provisional results for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ghana. A total of 620,243 candidates from 20,789 schools sat the exam at 2,237 centres, including 304,415 males and 315,828 females. The candidate pool contained 136 visually‑impaired persons, 282 with hearing needs and 510 requiring other accommodations, while 3,601 registered candidates were absent.
Following investigations into examination irregularities, WAEC cancelled the subject results of 496 candidates and the entire results of 105 candidates, totaling 601 cancelled results. The council also withheld subject results of 119 candidates and entire results of 48 candidates, and placed the subject results of 2,722 candidates from 229 schools under further scrutiny – a combined 2,889 withheld results. WAEC said the status of these results will be confirmed by 31 August 2026, after which they may be either released or permanently cancelled.
Results were dispatched to schools via the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directors of Education and are also available online on WAEC’s website. The council warned the public about fraudsters promising to “upgrade” results for a fee and urged candidates to verify their status through the WAEC irregularities portal. WAEC thanked the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, security agencies, heads of schools and other stakeholders for their support.
Entities: Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) · Ghana · Ghana Education Service · John K. Kapi · Ministry of Education (Ghana) · West African Examinations Council (WAEC)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 5 SOURCES] 620,243 candidates sat the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ghana.
- [● 5 SOURCES] WAEC will decide the final status of withheld results by 31 August 2026.
- [● 5 SOURCES] The examination was conducted at 2,237 centres nationwide.
- [● 5 SOURCES] WAEC cancelled the subject results of 496 candidates and the entire results of 105 candidates, totalling 601 cancelled results.
- [● 5 SOURCES] 3,601 candidates were absent from the examination.
- [● 5 SOURCES] WAEC withheld subject results of 119 candidates, entire results of 48 candidates, and subject results of 2,722 candidates from 229 schools, totalling 2,889 withheld results.
- [● 5 SOURCES] The candidates came from 20,789 schools.