By: Kenneth Appiah Bani
Former Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has disclosed that he initiated efforts to replace Ghana’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) with a Common Entrance Examination during the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
Speaking in an interview on Neat FM, Dr. Adutwum said he believed Ghana had reached a stage where the BECE was no longer necessary and that the country needed to consider a different approach to assessing students at the basic education level.
“We wanted to replace the BECE with Common Entrance Exams. At the pace Ghana is moving, we no longer need the BECE,” he said.
According to the former minister, the proposed change was not merely an idea but had reached Parliament during his tenure as Education Minister.
He explained that he submitted the proposal to Parliament as part of efforts to initiate the process of replacing the existing BECE system with a Common Entrance Examination.
However, Dr. Adutwum said the change in government interrupted the process, as the NPP administration subsequently left office before he could continue pursuing the proposal.
He indicated that the transition would have required further discussions and legislative processes, but his departure from office meant he could no longer continue leading the effort.
The former minister’s comments have renewed discussions about the relevance of the BECE and whether Ghana’s education system requires a new national assessment framework.
The BECE has historically played a significant role in assessing Junior High School students and facilitating their placement into Senior High Schools and Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions.
Dr. Adutwum’s proposal, however, suggests that Ghana could adopt a Common Entrance Examination as an alternative as the country seeks to reform its education system.
The proposal is expected to generate further debate among education stakeholders, particularly over how students should be assessed and selected for progression to the next level of education.
watch the video below
