The National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTA) has called for a technical review of the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) assessment and results processing.

It said the process should involve qualified independent assessment experts and appropriate stakeholders.

The exercise, it said, should examine marking and moderation, score processing, grade conversion, standardisation, unusual patterns, and anomalies.

Moreover, it said it should look at school-level performance patterns and the integrity of the electronic processing system. 

Objective

“Our objective is not to undermine WAEC. Our objective is to strengthen public confidence in WAEC,” the General Secretary of the NCPTA, Raphael Kofi Gapson, said at a press conference in Accra last Wednesday.

Grading system

He said WAEC should provide a clear, accessible explanation of the grading system used for the 2026 BECE.

Parents and schools, he said, should be shown how raw marks were given, how grades were derived, how standardisation operated and how the final grade is determined with worked examples and why mock or school-based percentages might not correspond directly with final examination grades.

“We are not demanding that a technical assessment methodology be changed without expert consideration.

We are demanding that the methodology be understood by the people whose children's futures depend on it,” he said.

Investigations

Mr Gapson said investigations must be conducted within a reasonable and clearly communicated time frame.

On withheld results, he said where a candidate was cleared, the result should be released without unnecessary delay, and where an adverse decision was reached, the candidate and school should receive appropriate information on the decision and the available review or appeal process.

He called for a transparent mechanism through which candidates and authorised representatives could seek clarification of results, verification, script access where permissible, review or remarking where available, and the reconsideration of disputed administrative decisions.

“NCPTA calls for a dedicated complaints and clarification window involving the relevant assessment and placement authorities before the placement process becomes irreversible,” he said.

Chinese, Arabic

NCPTA welcomed the teaching of Chinese and Arabic as potential additions to the country’s educational opportunities and that both languages could have cultural, diplomatic, economic, and international relevance.

However, Mr Gapson said, "We recommend that their introduction be carefully structured, beginning with appropriate pilot programmes and qualified teachers.

Chinese and Arabic should complement rather than undermine the foundational importance of English, French, and Ghanaian languages. Our children must be globally competitive while remaining proudly Ghanaian.”

Indiscipline

Commenting on indiscipline in schools, he called for the strengthening of school disciplinary committees and said that “every junior high school (JHS) and senior high school (SHS) should have an effective disciplinary structure with clear procedures, parental involvement, documentation, and an opportunity for students to be heard."

“Government should progressively provide adequate numbers of trained professional counsellors in JHS and SHS institutions, beginning with schools with high enrolment and significant behavioural challenges.

“Character education should become a deliberate component of the education system, covering integrity, responsibility, respect, patriotism, digital citizenship, work ethic, conflict resolution, drug abuse prevention, and responsible use of artificial intelligence,” he said, among other things.

Mr Gapson said chiefs, queenmothers, religious leaders, parents, and community leaders should be recognised as partners in character formation and not merely invited to schools for ceremonial occasions.