GES breaks silence on rumour to reduce 2024 BECE subjects from 9

The Ghana Education Service (GES) says members of the general public particularly Junior High School students are to disregard the news that the subjects for the 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will be reduced to five.

An official of the Ghana Education Service (GES) who spoke to Thisterm.com on condition of anonymity said no such decision has been taken for Junior High School students to write 5 subjects in the next BECE instead of the usual 9.

The Service clarification comes after the Director of Schools and Instructions Division at GES, Prince Charles Agyemang-Duah in an interview said 2024 BECE candidates will sit for only five (5) subjects in the national examination.

The GES staff said the decision, reached in collaboration with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NACCA) and various relevant stakeholders, aims to create a more focused and meaningful learning environment.

Agyemang-Duah emphasized that the previous nine subjects were deemed excessive, with some subjects appearing redundant and repetitive. As a result, the subject “Our World Our People” has been eliminated from the curriculum.

The Director of Schools and Instructions explained that upon closer examination, this subject exhibited significant overlap with social studies, making the learning experience appear burdensome and potentially punitive for students.

“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 the 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, Prince Agyemang-Duah said in the interview with Accra-based MX24.

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.