A total of 552, 276 Candidates from 18,501 schools across the country are writing the 2022 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) from today October 17, 2022.

A statement issued by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Accra said this year’s examination would be run for both school and private candidates at 2,023 centres throughout the country.

“The entry figure is made up of 276,988 males and 275,288 females. The number of candidates that registered for this year’s BECE is 3.48 percent less than the 2021 entry figure of 572,167.

“In respect of the BECE for Private Candidates (PC), 1,132 candidates made up of 634 males and 498 females entered the examination,” a statement released by WAEC said.

The examination, according to the statement, would be taken at 15 selected centres in the regional capitals.

It said the number of registered private candidates for the 2022 BECE was 6.09 percent higher than the 2021 figure of 1067.

The Council assured the public that all appropriate measures had been put in place to safeguard the security and the successful conduct of the examination.

Also, a statement issued and signed by Cassandra Twum Ampofo, Head of Public Relations, Ghana Education Service, commended teachers, school heads, parents, and other stakeholders for preparing the candidates for the examination.

The statement entreated all stakeholders to desist from any form of examination malpractice.

“Management also encourages the security agencies to help deal with all those who attempt to undermine the integrity of the exercise and to jeopardize the future of the candidates,” the statement added.