Gurene is expected to be examined at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for the first time in 2027, following a directive for the language to be included among subjects available for candidates to register.
The Upper East Regional Education Directorate has consequently directed Municipal and District Directors of Education to prepare schools for the teaching and examination of the language.
In a letter dated September 7, 2026, Upper East Regional Director of Education Razak Abdul-Korah said the Director of Schools and Instructions had, in an earlier letter dated January 29, 2026, tasked the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to include Gurene among subjects available for BECE registration.
“There is every indication” that candidates sitting the 2027 BECE will constitute the first cohort to be examined in Gurene, according to the Regional Education Directorate.
Municipal and District Education Directors have therefore been directed to incorporate Gurene into school timetables, rationalise and deploy appropriate teachers and take other steps necessary for its implementation.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) has also developed curriculum and teaching and learning materials to support the teaching of Gurene at different levels of education.
The latest development addresses a longstanding concern among Gurene-speaking communities over the inability of students to write the language in national examinations despite its teaching and development over the years.
Earlier in 2026, BONABOTO called for Gurene to be made an examinable subject, arguing that although the language had received recognition from the Ghana Education Service, its examination had not been operationalised.
The September 7 directive requires education authorities in the Upper East Region to prepare schools for the implementation of Gurene and ensure they are adequately prepared for its teaching and examination.
The letter was also copied to the President of the Gurene Language Development Association (GULDA).
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