Suspend 2026 BECE Registration Activities: GNACOPS Orders Private Schools Over WAEC’s Hiked Fees

Suspend All 2026 BECE Registration Activities” Is the Latest Order From GNAPS to Private Schools Over WAEC’s Hiked Fees.

The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has dropped a bombshell—and the entire education sector is shaking.

In a bold and unprecedented move, GNACOPS has directed all private pre-tertiary schools in Ghana to suspend every engagement with WAEC regarding the 2026 BECE registration until further notice. It further argued that private school stakeholders cannot continue to pay such huge exam fees.

“Our learners and parents cannot continue to bear unjustified financial burdens. We demand transparency, fairness, and accountability from WAEC. Private schools deserve stakeholder engagement—not unilateral decisions.” The statement said.

Why the Showdown?

According to GNACOPS, WAEC’s constant, steep, unexplained fee increases over the last five years have finally crossed the line.

In 2021, WAEC charged GHS85 per candidate for the BECE. This amount excludes all other expenses incurred by schools, which are often transferred to parents in the form of additional fees for administrative charges, among others.

In 2022, it increased to GHS 104.80, which represented a 23.29% increase in the exam fees. When the 2023 exam year came, WAEC again increased the fees by a whopping 62.55% and charged GHS 170.01.

An increase of 66.08% was effected again by WAEC in 2024, amounting to GHS282.35. In the last exam administered by the council this year (2025), it charged GHS 350.82, which was a 24.24% increase of the 2024 fee. This translates into a massive 312% rise in just a few years.

GNACOPS says it has strongly argued that these hikes are economically baseless, unjustifiable, implemented with zero transparency, unfair to private-school learners and parents, and possibly the amount is used to subsidize public-school candidates’ exam fees through private-school fees.

GNACOPS has threatened to boycott the 2026 BECE if WAEC fails to provide justification for the hiked fees charged in the recent past.

“Until WAEC provides clear justification for the 2025 fees, engages us meaningfully, and stops burdening private learners, we will not submit data, pay fees, or take part in any WAEC activity related to the BECE.”

This is the strongest stance GNACOPS has taken in years—and they are standing firm

What Private Schools Are Ordered to Suspend Immediately:

• Submission of candidate data

• Payment of BECE registration fees

• Participation in WAEC meetings & briefings

• Any communication or collaboration with WAEC reps

  

• Any operational or financial transactions relating to BECE 2025

In short: No data. No money. No meetings.

What Must Happen Before the Suspension Is Lifted:

GNACOPS demands:

1. A clear, transparent justification for the 2025 fees

2. Proper stakeholder engagement with GNACOPS at the table

3. A fair and economically realistic fee structure

4. Transparency on whether private-school fees are subsidizing public candidates

5. A framework to stop future unilateral fee hikes

   

Until then… the freeze stays.

READ: Private Schools Protest 2026 Exam BECE Fee Increase and Demand Reversal

GNACOPS’ Message to Parents and Schools

“We are doing this to protect your children. We will not compromise on fairness, affordability, or accountability. Private learners must not be treated as financial shock absorbers for the system.”

GNACOPS insists this battle is not against WAEC—but against opacity, unilateralism, and unfair financial pressure on private-school families.

This Story Will Shake the System

With BECE 2026 preparations underway nationwide, this suspension could trigger:

• Nationwide delays

• Urgent government intervention

• A restructuring of how WAEC engages private schools

• A national conversation about exam financing fairness

One thing is clear: GNACOPS has finally drawn a line in the sand.