Pres. Mahama reacts to 2026 BECE results, says it's a 'true' reflection of students’ performance

• President John Mahama says the 2026 BECE results provide a more accurate picture of students’ academic abilities following improved invigilation.

• He said tighter measures have curbed mass examination malpractice, including unauthorised assistance previously facilitated by some school officials.

• Mahama noted improved performance in subjects including Mathematics, while government is reviewing a slight decline recorded in Social Studies.

President John Dramani Mahama has described the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results as a more accurate reflection of students’ academic abilities following tighter measures to curb examination malpractice.

Speaking during a citizens’ engagement at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in the Upper West Region on Saturday, September 12, as part of his Resetting Ghana Tour, President Mahama said improved invigilation had significantly reduced the practice of candidates receiving unauthorised assistance during examinations.

He said the stricter measures were now revealing students’ actual level of preparedness as they progress to the next stage of their education.

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“One thing that I’m happy and proud of is that we’re seeing our children’s true results,” President Mahama said.

According to the President, some headteachers and other officials had previously colluded to facilitate cheating, enabling candidates to obtain grades that did not accurately reflect their academic abilities.

He said this allowed some students to progress to higher levels of education without acquiring the foundational knowledge and skills required to cope with more advanced studies.

“And so today we’re seeing the real results of our children because invigilation has improved and the mass cheating in exams, you know, has been curtailed,” he said.

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President Mahama also noted that there had been improvements in performance in subjects including Mathematics and Social Studies, although he said the government was examining a slight decline recorded in Social Studies.

The 2026 BECE provisional results were released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in July. A total of 620,243 candidates from 20,789 schools took part in the examination.

WAEC also sanctioned candidates over examination irregularities, including the cancellation of subject results for 496 candidates and the entire results of 105 candidates.