Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (EduWatch), has alleged that some BECE candidates put money inside their examination scripts in an attempt to influence examiners when marking their scripts.
The EduWatch Executive Director disclosed that the move is one of various methods used by some candidates in the hope of gaining favour from examiners.
According to Kofi Asare, such attempts can only succeed if an examiner compromises professional standards.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, August 4, Kofi Asare stated, In some instances, candidates put money in the examination scripts. They put money in the script for whoever is going to mark it”.
Also, Kofi Asare has said the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) has lost its relevance following the introduction of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy.
He argued that BECE has significantly changed over the years, with the exams now serving primarily as a mechanism for placing students into senior high schools rather than determining who qualifies to continue their education.
Kofi Asare stated, “BECE in time past, prior to the Free Senior High, it was used for two main reasons. The first was to determine who goes to secondary school because there was a cut-off point of 36.
“The second was to determine which school one is placed in and other minor reasons for certification. It served as evidence for completing the JHS level.
“But since 2017/2018, when we introduced Free SHS, we have come to agree as a country that the minimum level of education that any Ghanaian should have is secondary. On average, 98 per cent of BECE candidates have always qualified for placement, and so BECE relevance now is only for placement.”
His comment follows the release of the 2026 BECE results.
Last week, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released the provisional results of the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School Candidates.
620,243 candidates sat for the 2026 BECE, comprising 304,415 males and 315,828 females, sat for this year’s examination. The candidates were drawn from 20,789 schools and wrote the examination at 2,237 centres nationwide.
They further disclosed that 3,601 registered candidates were absent from the examination.
The examination body also announced that following investigations into examination malpractice, it has cancelled the subject results of 496 candidates and the entire results of 105 candidates.
The subject results of 119 candidates and the entire results of 48 candidates have also been withheld.
On Wednesday, July 29, WAEC, in a statement, announced that the results have been dispatched to schools through Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directors of Education. Candidates.
They also disclosed that the results can be checked online via the Council’s official results portal.
“The results are also available on the Council’s official website at www.waecgh.org for candidates who so desire to access them online” WAEC said.
“Candidates whose results have been cancelled or withheld should visit https://irreg.waecgh.org. and click on the withheld/cancelled button on the home page,” the statement added.
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