With 602,457 candidates, the 2023 BECE begins.

The 2018 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), which began today, is being taken by 602,457 junior high school pupils in Ghana.

The total number of candidates, 602,457, is an increase of 49,049 over the 553,408 total from the previous year.

Both school and private candidates would take the test at the same time.

From now, Monday, August 7, to Friday, August 11, 2023, both tests are being given.

Today, candidates will take tests in the English language and religious and moral education.

Writing assignments for Integrated Science and Ghanaian Language would be due on Tuesday, followed by Social Studies and Basic Design and Technology on Wednesday.

Mathematics and information and communication technology would be covered on Thursday, and French on Friday.

Out of the 602,457, 1,743 will take the BECE for Private Candidates (BECE-PC), and a total of 600,714 will take the BECE for School Candidates (BECE-SC).

According to data from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the BECE-SC will have 300,323 male students and 300,391 female students, while the BECE-PC will have 889 male students and 854 female students.

The BECE-SC, which is primarily for students who have completed nine years of basic education, will involve 18 000, 983 public and private JHSs.

The BECE will be administered at 2,137 centers, each with a supervisor.

There will be 21,025 invigilators and 2,000 assistant supervisors.

The BECE-PC exam will be administered by a supervisor at 15 testing sites.

There will be one assistant supervisor and 60 invigilators for the test.

Regional analysis

As usual, the Ashanti Region will present the most candidates for the BECE-SC, with 117,084 total, made up of 57 973 males and 59 111 females.

The Greater Accra Region comes in second with 112,894 candidates, including 54,624 males and 58,270 females.

The Central Region comes in second with 68,035 candidates, 34,166 males, and 33,869 females.

There will be 60,528 applicants from the Western and Western North areas (29,703 females and 30,825 males).

55,617 candidates (27,882 males and 27,735 females) will take the exam in the Ahafo, Bono, and Bono East regions, totaling 58,311 candidates (29,703 males and 28,608 females) who will sit the exam in the Eastern Region.

With 24,706 males and 22,077 females, the Northern, North East, and Savannah areas will submit a total of 46,783 applicants.

There are a total of 124 candidates who are participating in the BECE-PC in the Ahafo, Bono, and Bono East regions, while 119 candidates (51 males and 68 females) are anticipated to write in the Western and Western North areas.

The remaining candidates are from the Eastern Region (109 candidates, 64 males, 45 females), Volta and Oti (96 candidates, 43 males, 53 females), Northern, North East, and Savannah areas (96 candidates, 36 males, 60 females), and Upper East Region (89 candidates, 50 males, 39 females).

The WAEC has stated that it will conduct this year’s BECE without any problems or incidents.

Candidates and school administrators have been urged to act properly during the exam period.

During a news conference last Wednesday, the council promised, among other things, to name and disgrace any schools found cheating on exams.

Additionally, it stated that it was looking into nine instances of unqualified applicants who had registered at the Ayi Mensah Basic School.

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