More than 500,000 final-year Senior High School (SHS) students across Ghana will on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, begin this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with the Oral English paper.
This year’s examination marks Ghana’s full return to the regional WASSCE format alongside other West African countries, after years of administering separate papers due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has confirmed that all necessary arrangements have been completed to ensure the smooth and hitch-free conduct of the exams nationwide.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, May 12, WAEC Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, said robust measures have been implemented to protect the integrity of the examination.
“For security reasons, we delayed the printing of the exam papers because we don’t want the papers out there early to prevent the activities of those who want to compromise the integrity of the exams,” Mr Kapi stated.
He assured candidates, parents, and school authorities that examination materials for all centres were fully ready and would be delivered according to schedule.
“For every institution, what they need for the exams is ready. We are very sure that we will be within time so we will work with the timetable that we have brought out,” he added.
In recent years, WAEC has intensified its fight against examination malpractice through tighter security protocols, enhanced monitoring, and closer collaboration with security agencies.
The 2026 WASSCE is scheduled to take place at hundreds of examination centres across the country, with candidates expected to write both core and elective subjects over the coming weeks.