1st-yr SHS students to write placement exam after the BECE – MoE

Public Senior High Schools and Senior High Technical Schools next academic year will conduct a placement examination for first-year students who had sat for BECE, the Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has said.

In an interview monitored by Thisterm.com, the Education Minister said the upcoming placement examination forms part of an effort to assist Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduates who can not read or write.

“From next year, Senior High Schools will conduct placement examinations for first-year students. An intervention program will be done for BECE graduates who will fail the second cycle placement examination.” Adutwum said.

The number of subjects to be studied by the first-year Senior High School students who fail the examination, the Minister in Charge of Education said would be reduced to enable them to focus on areas they are academically poor.

In line with the Minister for Education, a former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof Kwasi Opoku Amankwah has proposed for private school BECE students to write an entrance examination before being given Senior High School admission.

In an interview with Asempa FM monitored by Thisterm.com, Professor Opoku-Amankwa said he has petitioned the Ministry of Education to reserve 90% ‘Category A’ school placement for public students instead of the current 30%.

“In our various meetings I have suggested 80% or 90% Category A placement to be allocated to students from public schools and those from private schools be made to write an entrance exam before given admission,” he told Asempa.

On the part of private school students, the Professor said he has proposed for the 30% placement slot into public Senior High Schools to be allocated to them adding that “even with that be allowed sit for an entrance examination.”

“I want the 30% ‘Category A’ school allocation currently reserved for public schools to be given to the private school students and even with that allow them to sit for an entrance examination,” the Professor told Asempa FM.

A total of 600,714 candidates, comprising 300,323 boys and 300,391 girls from 18,993 Junior High Schools participated in the 2023 BECE for School Candidates which began on Monday, August 7, 2023, to Friday, August 11, 2023.

About the 2023 BECE for Private Candidates, a total entry figure of 1,743 candidates was recorded. This is made up of 889 males and 854 females. This year’s figure is 5.4% higher than the entry figure of 1,132 for 2022.

The 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School Candidates was held at 2,137 examination centres across the country, while 15 centres mainly in the regional capitals were used for the BECE for Private candidates.

To ensure the smooth and successful conduct of the 2023 BECE for School and Private, A total of 2,137 supervisors, 2,000 supervisors and 21,027 invigilators were tasked to oversee the administration of the national examination.