Omanghana
The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has accused the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) of using an unfair marking system that allegedly disadvantaged private school candidates in the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination.
GNACOPS is demanding an immediate independent review of the recently released BECE results, citing what it describes as unusual grading patterns and a sharp decline in the performance of private school candidates.
According to the council, heads of private schools across the country have reported an unprecedented reduction in the number of candidates who obtained top grades ranging from Aggregate 6 to 12.
The council argues that the decline is inconsistent with candidates’ academic records, internal assessments and performances in previous examinations. It has therefore questioned whether the results accurately reflect the abilities of the affected students.
GNACOPS alleges that WAEC may have applied a skewed grading curve or stricter marking standards to private school candidates. It claims the suspected approach was intended to make public schools operating under the new educational curriculum appear more successful.
However, the council has not publicly presented evidence proving that WAEC deliberately differentiated between candidates based on the type of school they attended.
GNACOPS also raised concerns about what it described as a lack of transparency in the grading process. The council said WAEC’s failure to publish candidates’ raw scores and chief examiners’ reports has made it difficult for schools and parents to understand how the final grades were calculated.
The private schools body has petitioned the Ministry of Education and Parliament’s Select Committee on Education to intervene in the dispute.
Among its demands is an independent audit of selected 2026 BECE answer scripts by an external panel of qualified education and assessment experts. GNACOPS believes such a review would determine whether the marking and grading procedures were consistent, objective and fair.
The council is also calling for the school placement process to be suspended until the alleged discrepancies have been investigated and resolved. It argues that proceeding with placements could disadvantage students whose grades may be affected by possible errors.
WAEC has not yet issued a formal response directly addressing the specific accusations. The examinations body has, however, consistently maintained that its marking procedures are standardized, rigorous and conducted without reference to whether candidates attend public or private schools.
The dispute has increased pressure on education authorities to clarify the grading process and assure candidates, parents and schools that the 2026 BECE results accurately reflect students’ performances.
Source: Omanghana
