Entrance exams to replace BECE if Free SHS bill is passed – Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister for Education, has disclosed that entrance exams will replace the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) if the Free SHS bill is passed.
According to the Education Minister, BECE will no longer be in existence because writing entrance exams will be the order of the and a catapult to move JHS graduates to Senior High School (SHS) in the near future if all things are done appropriately.
The official announcement was made during an exclusive interview on GTV’s Breakfast Show on Thursday, August 8, 2024, by Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.
In the interview, he stressed that the 21st century comes with a lot, and that is where certification should be treated with seriousness.
He said completing senior high school is crucial, and that is where certificate exams will be taken, not at the junior high level.
Further, he talked about what the Free Secondary Education Bill entails. Explaining, he said that the Bill provides for government-funded resources to ensure free, quality secondary education for all children.
Discussing the facts about the yet-to-be-passed bill, Dr. Osei Adutwum disclosed that under the bill, JHS is classified as lower secondary and will no longer be part of basic schools, effectively giving Ghana a six-year secondary education system.
Dr. Adutwum emphasized that lower secondary schools will provide equal learning opportunities as senior high schools, even if they operate independently. He also pointed out that making secondary education mandatory renders the BECE certificate exam unnecessary.
With regards to Africa Education Watch’s proposal to include a compulsory practical agriculture course in the SHS curriculum reform, Dr. Adutwum suggested integrating it into the lower secondary curriculum instead. This approach would introduce students to agriculture, allowing them to explore their interest and potentially pursue it further in upper secondary school, he added.
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
