The Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to immediately audit the provisional 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results, citing what it describes as widespread grading discrepancies that could unfairly affect candidates’ placement into senior high schools.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 5, the association said it had received numerous reports from member schools across all 16 regions alleging inconsistencies in the results released by WAEC. GNAPS said the reported anomalies raise concerns about the accuracy of the collation process and the integrity of the grades awarded to some candidates.
Among the cases highlighted by the association is that of a candidate who registered for and sat the Ghanaian Language paper in Twi but did not register for or write Ewe. Despite this, the candidate’s provisional results reportedly included a Grade 3 in Ewe alongside a Grade 7 in Twi.
GNAPS said the case is not isolated, claiming that several schools have reported candidates being awarded grades in subjects they never offered, results that do not align with students’ academic records, and what it described as unexplained failures.
The association also expressed concern over what it called an unusually high failure rate among candidates from private schools. It argued that the outcomes differ significantly from the affected students’ performance in continuous assessments, terminal examinations and mock examinations, suggesting the need for a thorough review of the released results.
“GNAPS states clearly that it stands behind the integrity of the examination system and supports every legitimate measure WAEC takes against genuine examination malpractice. Our concern here is of a different kind.
“What we are pointing to are errors of collation and attribution, administrative and technical failures in the processing of results that, if they are not corrected, will deny hardworking and deserving children the results they earned,” the association said.
According to the association, if the reported discrepancies are not addressed promptly, many candidates could be denied the grades they legitimately earned, with serious consequences for their educational progression.
GNAPS is therefore urging WAEC to conduct an urgent audit and reconciliation of all affected results, ensure that every candidate is awarded grades that accurately reflect the examinations they sat, and guarantee that results are determined solely on merit without bias based on whether a candidate attended a public or private school.
“These discrepancies have come at a critical moment. Even now, our candidates are working carefully and painstakingly through their school selection, and although disgruntled, they are going about it with patience and diligence,” the statement added.
GNAPS added that it is documenting complaints from member schools nationwide and warned that it would consider further collective action if WAEC fails to investigate and rectify the reported anomalies.
The association reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the interests of learners in private schools, insisting it would continue to pursue the matter until all affected candidates receive results that accurately reflect their performance.
WAEC on Wednesday, July 29, released the provisional results of the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), announcing that it had cancelled the subject results of 601 candidates for engaging in examination malpractice.
The Council also withheld the entire results of 167 candidates and the subject results of 2,722 others pending the conclusion of investigations into suspected examination irregularities.
