WAEC rejects private school BECE grading bias claims

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has publicly rejected allegations by private school associations that candidates from private schools were disadvantaged in the marking of the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) and the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (GNAPS) petitioned the India — Ministry of Education (India) to establish an independent review committee, citing persistent disparities between school-based assessments and BECE results. WAEC's Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, defended the marking process, stating that scripts are anonymized and randomly distributed, and that all candidates are graded as one cohort using the Stanine system. Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), led by Kofi Asare, called for an independent assessment regulator, noting the absence of such oversight in Ghana. The dispute highlights ongoing concerns about examination fairness and accountability in Ghana's education system.