The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has raised concerns about the continued relevance of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), arguing that the examination no longer serves the same purpose it was originally designed for due to changes in Ghana’s education system.
Mr. Asare said the introduction of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy has significantly changed the role of the BECE, with the examination now functioning mainly as a placement mechanism for students entering senior high schools rather than a requirement for determining access to secondary education.
Speaking in an interview on Citi FM, he explained that the BECE previously served two major purposes: deciding which students qualified to progress to secondary school and determining the category of schools they would be placed in based on their performance.
He noted that before the implementation of Free SHS, students were required to achieve a specific aggregate score to gain admission into secondary schools, with the BECE results also influencing their school placement.
“BECE in time past, prior to the Free Senior High, it was used for two main reasons. The first was to determine who goes to secondary school because there was a cut-off point of 36.
“The second was to determine which school one is placed in and other minor reasons for certification. It served as evidence for completing the JHS level,” he said.
However, Mr. Asare explained that the situation has changed since the introduction of Free SHS in 2017/2018, as Ghana has adopted secondary education as the minimum level every citizen should attain.
He pointed out that historically, about 98 percent of BECE candidates have qualified for placement, suggesting that the examination’s main function now is limited to assigning students to senior high schools.
“Since 2017/2018, when we introduced Free SHS, we have come to agree as a country that the minimum level of education that any Ghanaian should have is secondary,” he stated.
The education policy expert therefore suggested that government and stakeholders should review the structure and purpose of the BECE to reflect the current realities of the education system.
According to him, with almost all candidates gaining access to senior high school, the examination has lost its former role as a barrier determining who progresses to secondary education.
