Final-year Senior High School (SHS) students across Ghana have officially commenced the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), joining candidates from other West African countries as the examination begins with oral English today.
Data released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) shows that 509,862 candidates are participating in this year’s examination across the country. Out of the total number, 225,274 are males, while 284,588 are females.
The examination process had already started earlier with practical and project-based assessments for subjects including visual arts and home economics.
While oral English has been written separately by Ghanaian students in recent years, the 2026 edition is being conducted concurrently across all WAEC member nations.
This year’s examination also marks the complete return to the traditional May–June academic calendar after changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the pandemic, the 2020 WASSCE was conducted between July and September, while the 2021 examination took place from August to October.
Following those disruptions, countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia collaborated to realign their academic calendars and restore the original regional examination schedule.
Regionally, the Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of candidates, with 127,702 students made up of 57,885 males and 69,817 females.
The Eastern Region followed with 70,099 candidates, while the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions together registered 67,739 candidates.
The Central Region recorded 61,303 candidates, with the Greater Accra Region presenting 48,099 candidates. In the Volta Region, 41,622 students are expected to write the examination.
Meanwhile, the Oti and Western North regions jointly recorded 35,620 candidates. The Northern ecological zone, which includes the Northern, Northeastern, and Savannah regions, registered 33,155 candidates.
The Upper East Region presented 15,192 candidates, while the Upper West Region recorded the lowest figure with 9,249 candidates.