Discussions are ongoing to reduce BECE subjects in future – NaCCA

The Director-General of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Professor Edward Appiah says discussions to consider reduction of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) subjects in future are ongoing.

In an interview with Education TV monitored by Thisterm.com, the NaCCA official said that currently there are no plans for the Ministry of Education to reduce subjects for the national examination to five (5) or whatever number.

“We are also receiving reports that Ghana is one of the few countries that do too many subjects in WASSCE and BECE and the conversation was can we reduce it? some said we should reduce it to five others said we should make it nine

But if there is going to be any reduction in the BECE subjects it is not even now and not next year. In this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) we are doing all the subjects,” the NaCCA official told Education TV.

Prof Edward’s comment comes after an official of the Ghana Education Service described the current BECE subjects written by Junior High School students as excessive and said it will be reduced to 5 for this year’s national examination

“We realized that the number of subjects the students learn at a particular stage was too much and there were some subjects that were more or less like repetition.

This subject; Our World Our People, has been scrapped because when you look inside that particular course in the curriculum and you compare it to social studies, it’s like duplication, the same topic here and there

The goal is to ensure that learning is not perceived as a punishment for children but rather as a meaningful and productive experience,” The Director of Schools and Instructions Division at GES, Prince Agyemang-Duah said in an interview.

He added that “starting 2024 BECE, candidates will now be assessed in five subjects, reflecting a thoughtful and strategic approach to curriculum development. So, in 2024, five subjects are going to be written by the candidates.”

Mr Duah outlined that the 34th edition of the BECE will evaluate students in core subjects like Mathematics, English Language, Integrated Science, a Ghanaian language, and a fifth subject known as general knowledge.

Additionally, the Director said candidates will be required to showcase their proficiency in concepts from diverse subjects like Information and communications technology (ICT), Social Studies, and Religious and Moral Education.