By: Kenneth Appiah Bani
Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has questioned former Education Minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum’s criticism of Ghana’s current education system and his call for the replacement of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) with a Common Entrance Examination.
Dr. Adutwum recently disclosed in an interview on Neat FM that, during his tenure under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, he initiated plans to replace the BECE with a Common Entrance Examination.
He said the proposal was submitted to Parliament but could not be pursued further after the NPP government left office.
Dr. Adutwum argued that, considering the pace at which Ghana’s education system is developing, the country may no longer need the BECE.
However, responding to issues surrounding the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), Haruna Iddrisu questioned what advice he should seek from his predecessor, given the challenges he inherited in the education sector.
“What advice should I seek from Dr Osei Adutwum when he left a despondent educational system?” Mr. Iddrisu asked.
The Education Minister further challenged the former minister to explain why the country is still struggling with school placement if his administration had implemented better solutions.
“If Dr. Osei Adutwum did it better, then why are we here? We would not have been struggling for placement,” Haruna Iddrisu stated.
He also suggested that Dr. Adutwum appears to have stronger solutions now that he is outside government than he did while serving as Education Minister.
“Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum seems to have better solutions outside government than when he was the Minister for Education,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Iddrisu outlined plans by the government to expand access to Category A senior high schools as part of efforts to address placement challenges.
According to him, the government intends to convert 20 Category B schools into Category A schools while constructing 10 new model Category A schools across the country.
The Minister said the measures form part of broader efforts to improve Ghana’s second-cycle education system and address the pressure associated with the placement of students into senior high schools.
The exchange between the two former and current Education Ministers comes at a time when the BECE and CSSPS continue to attract public debate, particularly over the fairness and effectiveness of Ghana’s system for assessing and placing students in senior high schools.
