The Ghana Education Service has barred all supervisors and invigilators implicated in last year’s examination malpractice from the upcoming 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination, as the country prepares for its largest BECE cohort yet.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has taken sweeping action to purge its invigilation ranks ahead of the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), officially prohibiting all officials linked to malpractice during last year’s exams from playing any role in this year’s exercise.

The affected supervisors and invigilators — many of whom remain under active investigation — have been barred from all coordination and supervision duties as the GES moves to restore public confidence in the integrity of Ghana’s national examination system.

Addressing a press briefing on preparations for the exams, scheduled to run from May 4 to May 11, Director-General of the GES Ernest Kofi Davis said investigations into the 2025 malpractice cases were nearing completion, with final disciplinary outcomes expected shortly.

“Investigations into the alleged malpractice cases are nearing completion,” Mr. Davis told reporters, adding that the exclusion of compromised officials was essential to ensuring a level playing field for all candidates.

To plug the staffing gap left by the banned officials, the GES has deployed 21,791 vetted invigilators — a figure Mr. Davis said was sufficient to guarantee transparent and credible conduct of the examinations.

Record Candidate Numbers

The crackdown on misconduct coincides with a notable surge in participation. A total of 620,141 candidates are registered to sit this year’s BECE, a 2.7 percent increase over the 603,328 who wrote the 2025 exams. Of the total candidates, 315,792 are girls and 304,349 are boys, spread across 20,395 schools nationwide.

Nationwide Sensitization Drive

Beyond the personnel blacklist, the GES has rolled out a sensitization campaign across all 16 regions of the country, targeting students, parents, and teachers with messaging on the consequences of examination fraud and its long-term damage to Ghana’s education system.

Authorities confirmed that all examination materials and logistics are in place ahead of the May 4 start date, with the Service reiterating its commitment to ensuring that those who undermined the system in 2025 will have no influence over the futures of this year’s candidates.

Team Haruna addresses the student body to formally express its opposition to the declared results of the SRC Presidential election.

This position is based on serious irregularities observed during the voting process, which undermine the credibility, transparency, and fairness of the election.

It has come to our notice that some students who had not cast their votes were, upon accessing the portal, indicated as already voted. This situation disenfranchised affected individuals and raises grave concerns about the integrity of the system.

Additionally, inconsistencies were recorded in the vote count displayed on the portal. In several instances, votes cast did not reflect accurately or update as expected, creating doubt about the reliability of the tallying process.

We also observed procedural lapses. The election, scheduled to commence at 7am, did not begin till 8am and also the portal was inaccessible to many students between 8am and 9am. Furthermore, there are indications that voting activity continued beyond the official closing time, with votes reportedly being recorded after 5pm.

These issues, taken together, compromise the integrity of the electoral process.

In light of the above, Team Haruna:

1. Rejects the credibility of the SRC Presidential election results.

2. Calls on the Electoral Commission to immediately investigate these irregularities.

3. Demands a comprehensive audit of the voting system and records.

4. Urges the Commission to take appropriate remedial action, including possible annulment and rerun when these concerns are validated.

We remain committed to protecting the democratic will of the students and ensuring that every vote genuinely counts.

We call on all stakeholders to stand for transparency, fairness, and accountability.

Signed
Haruna Rashid Yussif
Presidential Aspirant

For media engagements contact
Joshua Selormey
Campaign Manager
054 900 4379

The Coalition of Unpaid Teachers has announced plans to embark on an indefinite protest at the Ministry of Finance beginning Wednesday, April 15, 2026, if government fails to present a clear roadmap for settling their salary arrears.

National Organiser of the group, Eugene Zoranu Segbefia, disclosed the decision in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story, citing prolonged delays in payments affecting members across the country.

According to him, some teachers have worked for between seven and 18 months without receiving salaries, raising concerns about their welfare and the government’s commitment to its obligations.

“We have teachers who have worked between seven and 18 months without salaries. As we speak, we don’t even know whether the government will fulfil its obligation to us,” he said.

Mr Segbefia noted that although the coalition has engaged key stakeholders, including the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education, no concrete payment timeline has been communicated.

He explained that while authorities indicated that a memo had been exchanged between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance, the lack of progress remains troubling.

“The Minister listened to our concerns and promised to expedite the process. But as we speak, we are only seeing recruitment ongoing, while those of us already working have not been paid,” he added.

The coalition has also questioned the government’s priorities, arguing that it is unjust to recruit new teachers while those already in the system remain unpaid.

“We are already in the classrooms working, yet we are not being paid. Why recruit more teachers when you cannot even pay those already in the system?” he queried.

Mr Segbefia further expressed frustration over what he described as disparities in the treatment of public sector workers, noting that nurses who underwent similar processes are expected to begin receiving arrears from April.

The group had earlier given the government a deadline of April 12, 2026, to provide a payment plan. However, with no response received, the coalition says it will escalate its actions.

“Tomorrow, April 15, we are hitting the streets. And we are not leaving anytime soon,” he declared.

The coalition is demanding direct engagement with top government officials, including President John Dramani Mahama, the Vice President, or the Chief of Staff, insisting the protest will continue until a clear payment plan is secured.

Mr Segbefia added that members are prepared for a prolonged demonstration, with some travelling from Kumasi and Tamale to join the protest in Accra.

“We are coming with our belongings. Some colleagues are travelling from Kumasi and Tamale. We are prepared to sleep at the Ministry of Finance until we get a payment plan. That is the last thing we will do,” he stated.