The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has dismissed allegations by the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) that private school candidates were marked using a different scheme in the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Responding to the claims, WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, said all candidates are treated as a single cohort and assessed using one approved marking scheme. He explained that examiners follow a uniform marking guide during coordination meetings and are unable to identify whether scripts belong to candidates from private or public schools.
Mr. Kapi also noted that examination scripts are packaged in a way that conceals candidates’ school identities to ensure impartial marking.
The response follows concerns raised by GNAPS over what it described as a mismatch between students’ examination performance and their results, particularly in core subjects, leading to questions about the credibility of the 2026 BECE outcomes.
WAEC has encouraged any aggrieved candidates or stakeholders to use the appropriate channels, including the Council, the Ghana Education Service (GES), or the Ministry of Education, to seek clarification or appeal their results.