The Ministry of Education has urged BECE candidates who failed Mathematics and Science not to give up on their educational or career aspirations because of their results. Addressing the media on Tuesday, September 8, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, not that their failure in these subjects do not automatically exclude from progressing to Senior High School (SHS).
“We do not have a policy that says that if you fail one or two course subjects, you should be removed. We do not; such a policy does not exist. We are saying that education, secondary education, is a right, but not a privilege. We need to give them a path,” he said.
Also, the former President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has expressed concern over the 54,985 candidates who were not placed in public Senior High Schools (SHS) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
Addressing the media on Monday, September 7, the former President of NAGRAT described the development as concerning, warning that the affected candidates could be left without a clear path forward if they are not given the opportunity to rewrite the examination.
“It is a very concerning development because, if these young boys and girls do not get the opportunity to rewrite, then what it means is that we are churning over 54,000 young men and women onto our streets. And the consequences are very dire. It has serious social consequences,” he stated.
He, however, noted that while allowing the affected candidates to rewrite the examination would be the best way to prevent them from being left behind, the option may not be feasible, especially for candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“We all know the difficulty in rewriting an examination when you are done with a certain level. You’ll also be surprised that those 54,000 come from a certain social bracket. So even the rewriting may become difficult,” he said.
Angel Carbonu indicated that it is time for the government to review the placement policy, adding that greater emphasis should not be placed on Mathematics and English, as these subjects alone should not determine a candidate’s eligibility for placement.
Meanwhile, former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr Charles Aheto-Tsegah, has said the affected candidates should not be classified as failures, as they can still pursue further education.
According to him, failing to obtain a credit in a particular subject does not necessarily mean a candidate has failed, as their overall performance may be strong enough for their progression to be considered.
“The person might not get a credit, but would have performed so well that his progression can be considered. We need to change the way we begin to place our children in terms of looking at their general performance,” Dr Aheto-Tsegah said.
As per the provisional results released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for the 2026 WASSCE for school candidates, a total of 74,692 candidates who sat for the exams obtained an F9 in Core Mathematics, representing 14.82 percent of the candidates who wrote the subject.
According to the results, 306,234 candidates, representing 60.75 percent, obtained grades between A1 and C6 in Core Mathematics. This means that while more than half of the candidates obtained credit passes in the subject, a significant number failed to achieve a passing grade.
Core Mathematics recorded the lowest A1-C6 performance among the four core subjects. In comparison, 315,094 candidates, representing 62.40 percent, obtained A1 to C6 in English Language, while 309,605 candidates, representing 62.08 percent, recorded grades between A1 and C6 in Integrated Science.
Social Studies recorded the highest performance, with 393,918 candidates, representing 78.04 percent, obtaining grades from A1 to C6.
Core Mathematics also recorded a high number of F9 grades compared with the other core subjects.
Integrated Science recorded 76,136 F9 grades, representing 15.27 percent, slightly higher than the 14.82 percent recorded in Core Mathematics.
In English Language, 55,940 candidates, representing 11.08 percent, obtained F9, while Social Studies recorded the lowest F9 figure, with 39,416 candidates, representing 7.81 percent.
Meanwhile, WAEC has released the provisional results of the 2026 WASSCE, with a total of 512,862 candidates from 1,022 schools registered for the examination.
The number comprises 225,270 males and 287,592 females, representing an 11.07 per cent increase over the 461,736 candidates who were registered in 2025.
WAEC said the results have been hosted online, with login details to be provided to heads of schools to access the results of their candidates.
Candidates can also check their individual results through the WAEC Ghana website. The Council has meanwhile cautioned candidates and the public against fraudsters who may claim they can upgrade examination results in exchange for money.
WAEC said its results are secured and can be authenticated through its results verification system and QR code.
