A total of 461,640 final-year senior high school (SHS) students across the country will take part in this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates (SCs).

They comprise 207,381 males and 254,259 females.

This year’s total number represents a 1,029 increase over last year’s figure of 460,611.

The exam begins today, with the project work in Basketry, Ceramics, Graphic Design, Jewellery and Leatherworks, among others, scheduled between today and Friday, August 22, 2025.

The 2025 WASSCE SCs will be the fourth batch of final-year candidates to take the Ghana Only Version of the WASSCE after the other four-member countries of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) — Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia — returned to the May/June calendar for WASSCE school candidates.

The “new normal” calendar for Ghana was occasioned by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.  

Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia have since had their academic calendars streamlined to enable them to write the examination in May/June, but Ghana still sticks to the “new normal” calendar.

In all, candidates from 701 SHSs will be participating in the examination at 701 centres.

Each centre will be manned by 701 supervisors, 1,391 assistant supervisors and 15,391 invigilators.

Per the statistics made available to the Daily Graphic, the Ashanti Region will be presenting the highest number of candidates of 115,982, made up of 52,813 males and 63,169 females.

The Eastern Region follows with 64,225 candidates-- 28,024 males and 36,201 females.

Three regions — Bono, Ahafo and Bono East — have a total of 61,773 candidates (27,560 males and 34,213 females) participating in the WASSCE-SC.

The Central Region is next with 53,738 candidates, made up of 23,090 males and 30648 females.

A total of 45,877 candidates from the Greater Accra Region will take part in the WASSCE-SC, with a breakdown of 20,948 males and 24,929 females.

The Volta and Oti regions will present a total of 35,539 candidates, made up of 16,729 males and 18,810 females, while Western and Western North have 33,121 candidates, made up of 14,156 males and 18,965 females.

The Northern, North East and Savannah regions have a total of 29,652 candidates, comprised of 14,712 males and 14,940 females for the 2025 WASSCE-SC.

In the Upper East Region, 13,976 candidates of 5,918 males and 8,058 females will sit this year’s examination, with 7,757 candidates of 3,431 males and 4,326 females from the Upper West Region participating.

In a related development, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has released GH¢15,849,920 nationwide to cover the payment of the 2025 WASSCE practical fees for the candidates.

The move, according to the GES, was to ensure that all schools were adequately resourced for the practical examination.

A press statement signed and issued by the Head of Public Relations at the GES, Daniel Fenyi, explained that the funds would cover the provision of necessary materials and essential resources required to conduct the practicals smoothly.

The statement emphasised the government’s commitment to reducing the financial burden on parents and guardians, while allowing students to concentrate fully on their preparation.

“With the release of the funds, GES seeks to facilitate a smooth and well-coordinated examination process that enables students to focus on their academic work, while relieving parents and guardians of any such financial burden,” the statement read.

The WASSCE starts on August 4, 2025, with the practicals.