2023 BECE results, SHS placement to be fair and transparent – GES

We are working hand in hand with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to ensure a fair and transparent Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) process, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Eric Nkansah has said.

In a social media post sighted by AcademicWeek, he admonished all public and private Junior High School (JHS) final-year students partaking in the ongoing 2023 national examination to eschew all acts of examination malpractice.

“On behalf of the Ghana Education Service, I extend my best wishes to all the 2023 BECE candidates. My appreciation goes to all teachers, parents and guardians for the immense support provided to prepare our candidates for this exam

To my Dear candidates, I admonish you to eschew all acts of exam malpractices as we work with WAEC to ensure a fair and transparent examination process. The entire nation stands behind you as you take on this important challenge, so make us all proud,” the Director-General stated.

In a related story, Africa Education Watch has called on the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to review the school placement system used to enrol students who sat for BECE into public second-cycle schools.

In a post sighted by AcademicWeek, EduWatch said the Education Ministry must put adequate measures to strengthen checks and balances, promote transparency and depoliticize the computerised school selection and placement system.

The think tank has also suggested for the Ministry in charge of Education (MoE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) publish placement data in Senior High Schools, as was done prior to 2015. Index numbers and results.

“Hold broad stakeholder engagement to review and strengthen the system. These internal committees are more operationally and administrative focused than systemic,” Africa Education Watch said in a social media post.

To ensure a free and fair school placement, the Watch has urged MoE to remake the computerised school selection and placement system (CSSPS) into a proper department of GES headed by a GES staff and not a political appointee.

“Consider proposals to maintain CSSPS, while possibly decentralizing the school placement to the regional director or school level, strictly supervise compliance with the system, and investigate and sanction defaulting school heads appropriately,” it noted.

Scheduled to start Monday, August 7, 2023, to Friday, August 11, 2023, the 2023 BECE will see 600,714 candidates, comprising 300,323 boys and 300,391 girls from 18,993 Junior High Schools sit for the national examination.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) amid low entries in registration of BECE for Private Candidates this academic year will conduct both the 2023 BECE for School and BECE for Private Candidates at the same time.

The number of candidates that registered for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School according to the non-profit-making organization (WAEC) is 8.8% higher than the 2022 entry figure of 552,276.

With regard to the 2023 BECE for Private Candidates, a total entry figure of 1,743 candidates was recorded. This is made up of 889 males and 854 females. This year’s figure is 5.4% higher than the entry figure of 1,132 for 2022.

“The BECE for School Candidates will be held at 2,137 examination centres across the country, while 15 centres mainly in the regional capitals will be used for the BECE for Private candidates,” WAEC said in a post sighted by AcademicWeek.com.

For BECE School and Private candidates, 21 subjects, comprising 5 Core and 16 Electives will be made available to them. In addition to the 5 Core subjects, the School candidates will be given the option of choosing 4 Electives to make a maximum of 9 subjects.

To ensure the smooth and successful conduct of the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), 2,137 supervisors, 2,000 supervisors and 21,027 invigilators will oversee the administration of the School examination.