For the first time, these two groups of candidates would write the five-day examination within the same period due to the consistently low entries for the BECE for Private Candidates over the years.

A statement signed and issued by the Head of Public Affairs of the WAEC National Office, Mrs Agnes Teye-Cudjoe,in Accra yesterday, said the school candidates are 552,276 from 18,501 schools while the private candidates are 1, 132.

The WAEC, in 2015, created the private candidates version of BECE to give another opportunity for BECE candidates who failed to make the grade for admission for second cycle institutions. The first edition had 1,181 candidates.

Over the years, the examination had been written months apart.

The statement said the School candidates who would write the examination at 2,023 centres throughout the country, are made up of 276,988 males and 275,288 females with the total figure 3.48 per cent less than the 2021 entry figure of 572,167.

On the other hand, the statement said, the private candidates,6.09 per cent higher than the 2021 figure of 1,067, comprised 634 males and 498 females would write the examination at 15 selected centres, mainly in the regional capitals.

The Council assured members of the public that all appropriate measures had been put in place to safeguard test security and ensure that the examination is conducted successfully.

These measures, it said, included the printing of examination questions in compliance with the council’s security regulations and the inspection and fortification of storage depots.

It said additional depots had been created for the storage of confidential materials close to some selected centres to prevent the late start of papers at these centres as well as the early release of question papers to Distributors.

Other measures included provision of 24-hour guard for all storage depots by the Ghana Police Service; provision of Security Officer at each examination centre and deployment of additional personnel for the monitoring and inspection of centres.

The Council advised candidates to be on the alert for the activities of “examination social media racketeers” whose primary aim is to make money through deception, as well as avoid all forms of examination malpractice.

“Candidates are reminded that collusion can be detected in their scripts during marking and that the penalties for examination malpractice include Cancellation of Subject/Entire Results,” it said.

The Council also urged all examination officials to comply with the rules and regulations governing the conduct of the examination and refrain from being facilitators of malpractice.