The high and low points of the BECE
The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is a major examination that enables basic school graduates to be admitted to second cycle institutions.
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The examination, which started under the 1987 Education Reform, has been followed with keen interest by parents, guardians, stakeholders in education and members of society.
This is because of the large number of graduates who are unable to enter senior high schools as a result of their poor performance in the examination.
In Form One at the junior high school (JHS) level, parents and guardians start preparing the minds of their children towards the examination ahead of time, reminding them that their inability to make the grades would be disastrous to their future.
During weekends, these children do not rest as they are engaged in various extra classes so as to pass the BECE and be admitted to their first-choice senior high schools or technical institutes. However, writing the examination has not been smooth.
Pregnant candidates
For some years, the BECE has been characterised by a number of challenges. Notable among these is the problem of pregnant teenage girls who are often prohibited by their schools from writing the examination.
In the past, the pregnant girls felt shy to join their mates to write the examination. The situation is, however, completely different today, as these girls with their protruding stomachs are seen among their colleagues at the examination centres. This is because of a Ghana Education Service (GES) directive that no pregnant candidate should be prevented from writing the BECE.
For instance, the number of pregnant girls who wrote the 2014 BECE in the Agona West Municipality of the Central Region alone increased from four, the previous year to 10. Some other 34 pregnant girls in Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region were reported to have sat for the examination.
Travelling and camping
Since most JHSs are not designated examination centres, some candidates each year have had to move from their schools to other locations to write the exam. Most of the centres are quite a distance from their homes so in order not to encounter any problems while trekking to the centres each day to write the examination, students under the supervision of their teachers and school authorities, pitch camp in communities where the exam centre is located.
During the period, the candidates are given day-to-day tips or guidelines while they prepare for the examination. Once the examination is over, they (candidates) return to their homes to await the results.
However, despite the good intention behind this practice, some candidates face some challenges. Two years ago for instance, some of the candidates were camped at a school around the examination centre which had no electricity for their studies at night.
Obviously, during any school examinations students always study the night before the paper they have to write so this affected the morale of the students. This incident which happened in the Afienya area attracted huge public sympathy from the community members.
When students do not feel well prepared for an examination, they tend to find ways to perform well and this causes some candidates even at the basic school level to resort to cheating.
Malpractices
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), which organises the BECE for the GES each year, publicises guidelines on how candidates should comport themselves before and during the examination.
Notable among the guidelines are the dos and don’ts of the examination which are clearly spelt out. These clearly include cheating during the examination. Failure to adhere to these can result in the cancellation of a subject or the entire examination results of candidates.
“For instance, candidates caught with mobile phones would have their entire results cancelled,” the Principal Public Relations Officer of WAEC, Mrs Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, who said this in an interview explained that the decision was to deter candidates from carrying mobile phones and other communication devices into the examination halls.
After covering the BECE over the years, I have realised that most students exhibit a lot of fear, especially on the first day of the examination because they indicate that it is the first time they are writing an external examination and are not so sure how things would turn out.
But after writing a few of the papers during the examination, most candidates gain a lot of confidence and take the rest of the exam in their stride.
Indeed, there are many other students who for the lack of facilities in their schools struggle to write the examination.
A particular example is the recent trip to the Mary Mother of Good Counsel School at Airport in Accra by BECE candidates of the Bebuoso Roman Catholic JHS at Donkorkrom in the Eastern Region.
The candidates of the school came to Accra to study and acquaint themselves with the teaching and learning in the city to help improve on their performance.
Although this might be described as too little, too late, the students were elated at their experiences and confessed that their studies with their mates in Accra was eye-opening and had given them some confidence.
The students who were studying ICT confessed they had never used the computer before although they were studying that subject.
Similar stories and experiences of the plight of many students in the rural areas abound yet they struggle hard not to drop out of school but to rub shoulders with others in well-endowed schools to make the grade and gain admission to second cycle schools.
Candidates assessments
Candidates year-in-year-out speak confidently of how they answered the examination questions. Despite the confidence, the situation is different when the results are released. “Oh, the questions were cool and I was able to answer them very well,” Master Gilbert Dawutey of the Joyful Home Academy told the Junior Graphic.
Another candidate, Master Calvin Mensah of the Little Flower School also believed he would pass this year’s BECE very well. “I would perform excellently because I spent all my time preparing for the examination”.
Shiraj Mohammed of the Roman Ridge School in Accra said although he had some difficulties, he was hopeful of doing well.
End of examination
At the end of the examination, there are usually wild celebrations by candidates who had seen the BECE as an albatross around their neck. In the course of their celebrations, they write various messages on the uniforms of their pals and pour powder over one another to signify victory amidst dancing and shouts of joy.
After these, jams and excursions are organisedfor candidates in some communities. In some areas these jams have been deplored and banned because they lead to immoral acts by some candidates.
Previously, posters and other banners could be seen posted in communities inviting fresh JHS graduates to such programmes. However, the situation is different now.
Resit of examination
Although there is an opportunity for candidates to resit the examination, the modalities spelt out on resitting has not been attractive at all. Under the current requirement of resit, a candidate would have to go back to his/her former school and rewrite the entire examination.
This requirement has been a major disincentive to candidates since they would not want to go back to their former schools and sit in the same classroom with their juniors. Moreover, there might not be enough spaces in the classrooms.
Due to the non-attractive nature of the resit, the Ministry of Education and WAEC have decided to restructure the resitting of the examination. The modalities on the new resit requirement have already been developed while the new resit policy will be launched this month.
