Results of eight out of 10 subjects in this year's Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE), during which candidates are selected for the senior secondary school, have been cancelled.

Candidates are to re-sit the affected papers early July at the expense of the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) and a designated printing firm.

Education minister Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Ekumfi told a press conference Friday that the ministry had to take "this harsh decision in the face of overwhelming evidence of leakage of examination questions."

He said Mathematics, English, General Science and Social Science, which are the core subjects, would have both the essay and objectives sections re-sat.

However, only the objective papers of Pre-technical and Vocational Skills, Agriculture Science, Religious and Moral Studies would be re-written.

He said the results of the French and Ghanaian language papers were not a problem.

Professor Ameyaw-Ekumfi said there was enough evidence that the papers were leaked in the Greater Accra, Western, Ashanti, Volta, Central and Eastern Regions.

"The decision to order a general re-sit stems from the fact that the other regions could access some of these papers. We cannot rule that out."

Ameyaw-Ekumfi said marks gathered from the normal continuous assessment in school would not be affected. Among other measures taken by the ministry include a review of contract between WAEC and the designated printing company.

"Security personnel with WAEC are to be interdicted immediately, while certain key officials of WAEC would have their appointments reviewed."

He said the committee that investigated the issue would submit its recommendations Tuesday. The nation first learnt of the leakage in the media on 24 April but this was denied by WAEC. Some 265,956 students took the nation-wide examination. Some parents especially in some of the remote areas of the country are already protesting the government decision.