The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for both school and private candidates will be held from Wednesday, June 11 to Wednesday, June 18, 2025.

In a statement released on Monday, June 9, WAEC disclosed that a total of 603,328 school candidates have registered for this year’s examination.

This figure includes 297,250 males and 306,078 females from 20,395 schools across the country. The Council noted that this year’s number represents a 5.99% increase over the  candidates who sat for the exam in 2024.

Additionally, 1,661 private candidates comprising 858 males and 803 females are expected to participate in the 2025 edition.

“This year's figure is 19.49% higher than the 2024 entry figure of 1,390,” the statement read.

The school-based examination will be conducted at 2,237 centres nationwide, while 15 designated centres, mostly in regional capitals, will accommodate private candidates.

School candidates and some private candidates will be assessed based on the current core curriculum. However, other private candidates will be examined using the old syllabus.

According to WAEC, “this will be the last time private candidates will be examined on the old syllabus.”

WAEC assured the public that provisions have been made to accommodate candidates with special educational needs. The Council encouraged parents, guardians, and school heads to remain confident that no candidate would be left behind in the examination process.

The Council also reminded all stakeholders of the revised rules and regulations governing examination conduct, which have been in effect since 2023. These rules address a range of infractions  including, “having inscriptions on any part of the body or clothing, posting live questions on the internet, refusal to grant timely access into the school premises, misconduct of examination officials, and multiple registration of candidates in both public and private schools.”

WAEC urged heads of school, supervisors, and invigilators to ensure that candidates comply with these rules, which are available on the Council’s website.

In its concluding remarks, WAEC called for a peaceful and orderly examination environment, appealing to all stakeholders to uphold integrity throughout the process.
“The Council calls on all and sundry especially stakeholders to ensure that sanity prevails at all the examination centres,” the statement said.

It also wished all candidates success and cautioned them against any form of malpractice, warning that any breach of the rules could carry serious consequences.