As thousands of candidates eagerly await the release of the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results, the President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Ibrahim Rashid, has renewed calls for government and education authorities to abolish the requirement for students to purchase scratch cards before accessing their results.
According to Ibrahim Rashid, the current practice raises serious concerns about fairness and the true meaning of Ghana's Free Basic Education policy. He argues that if students are not required to pay to receive basic education, they should not be asked to pay simply to access the outcome of examinations they have already written.
The NUGS President believes that every BECE candidate deserves unrestricted access to their examination results without facing additional financial barriers. In his view, charging students to check their results places an unnecessary burden on parents and guardians, particularly those with limited incomes or families with more than one child who sat for the examination.
He noted that although the cost of a scratch card may appear insignificant to some people, it remains a genuine challenge for many households across the country. As a result, some students are forced to delay checking their results until they can afford the required card, creating unnecessary anxiety during an important transition in their educational journey.
Ibrahim Rashid has therefore urged the Government of Ghana, the Ministry of Education, and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to reconsider the existing system. He believes that with the advancement of digital technology, authorities can implement secure and efficient platforms that allow candidates to access their results free of charge through online portals or other government-supported digital services.
According to him, removing the cost associated with accessing BECE results would strengthen Ghana's commitment to free basic education and ensure that no student is disadvantaged because of financial constraints. He stressed that access to examination results should be regarded as an essential part of the educational process rather than an additional service that students must pay for.
His comments have reignited public discussion on whether the long-standing practice of selling result-checking scratch cards remains justified in an era where digital technology offers more accessible and cost-effective alternatives.
With the release of the 2026 BECE results expected soon, many Ghanaians will be watching closely to see whether policymakers and education authorities respond to the concerns raised by the NUGS President. The debate continues to centre on one important question: Should students have to pay simply to know the results they have worked hard to earn?
