This year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) begins today, Monday, July 8, with a total of 569,095 candidates.
Mr. John K. Kapi, Head of Public Affairs at the WAEC National Office, announced that the candidates would start with English Language on July 8 and finish with Arabic by Monday, July 15, 2024.
Of the total candidates, 282,648 are males and 286,447 are females, representing 19,506 schools. “This figure represents a decrease of 5.29 percent compared to the 2023 entry figure of 600,900,” Mr. Kapi noted.
The examination will be conducted in 2,123 locations nationwide, with 2,123 supervisors, 1,889 assistant supervisors, and 19,973 invigilators ensuring a smooth process.
School candidates will be examined based on the newly introduced Common Core Curriculum, while private candidates will follow the old syllabus. “As part of arrangements for the smooth conduct of the examination, the Guidelines, Scheme, and Structure of the examination with the same questions were developed and circulated to all heads of school. Interested stakeholders can also visit our website to access them,” he added.
For private candidates, the Council registered 1,366 candidates, with 735 males and 631 females. “This year’s figure is 25.7 percent lower than the 2023 entry figure of 1,839. Fifteen centers, mainly in regional capitals, will be used for the BECE for private candidates,” Mr. Kapi stated.
The Council has organized sensitization programs to educate candidates on the rules and regulations governing the examination. It has also distributed examination stationery such as objective answer cards, answer booklets, and pencils to District Education Offices throughout the country, ensuring provisions for candidates with special educational needs are in place.
