Accra, Dec. 12, GNA – The Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to halt its planned increment in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) registration fee.
It urged WAEC to initiate an urgent, broad‑based stakeholder engagement to determine a fair and justifiable amount to be paid by candidates.
In a statement signed by Mr Kennedy Donkor, General Secretary, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, the Association said unilateral decision‑making undermined democratic school governance.
It described the proposed 24.24 per cent increase—from GHC 282.35 in 2025 to GHC 350.82 in 2026—as insensitive and unilateral.
The statement appealed to the Ministry of Education and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education to intervene.
“Swift action is essential to maintain the trust and goodwill of parents, private schools, and the broader education community in the government’s commitment to affordable, accessible, and equitable education,” it said.
The Association recalled that WAEC justified last year’s fee increase by citing worsened economic indicators such as inflation, exchange rates, port charges and fuel prices.
It said this year’s increment was “economically indefensible but deeply troubling,” especially at a time when national economic indicators, including inflation and the cost of goods and services, had stabilised or declined.
“For instance, the cedi is fairly stable while inflation rate has been decelerating from eight per cent in October 2025 to 6.3 per cent in November 2025.
“Under such conditions, any reasonable expectation would point toward a reduction in registration fees, not an astronomical and punitive hike of this magnitude,” the statement said.
It noted that such fee increases affected the enrolment and retention of many Ghanaian children who might be forced out of school because their parents could not afford the BECE registration fee.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey