Govt not replacing WASSCE & BECE with new exams – MoE

The Ministry of Education has denied allegations that the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) conducted by WAEC will be replaced with new examinations.

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister in charge of Education in an interview monitored by AcademicWeek.com said his outfit has no plans to replace the national and international examinations with a diploma certificate or whatever.

Asked if when the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations are replaced students can apply for schools abroad with the new certificate, the Minister said the government has no such plans to introduce new examinations.

His comment comes after a document classified as new education reforms indicated the Basic Education Certificate (BECE) conducted for final year Junior High School (JHS) students will be replaced with a placement examination.

“National Standardised Assessment Test will be administered at Primary 2, 4, 6 and JHS2, with the Basic Education Certificate Examination being replaced by placement exams at JHS3 to enrol pupils into SHS1,” the document said.

The paper added, “at SHS2, students will have to select either a career-related programme that includes vocational and technical programmes, or high school diploma elective programmes such as science, business and the arts.”

“Kindergarten, primary, Junior High School and Senior High Schools will all be described as basic schools, with JHS 1,2,3 and SHS1 being referred to as BS 7, 8, 9 and 10 respectively – meaning SHS1 will now be called BS10,” it noted.

It also indicated first-year Senior High School students will continue to run a common core programme for one year without elective subjects, such as Science, Business or any Arts programme until they are in their second year.

“Graduating to Senior High School two (2) from Senior High School one (1) will however be done through another Common Core entrance examination,” the purported document from the Ministry of Education (MoE) stated.

It further indicated final year Senior High School (SHSs) students in due course soon will sit for a university entrance examination instead of the international WASSCE for School administered by the West African Exams Council (WAEC).

According to the document, prospective Senior High School (SHS) students after the university test will be given a diploma certificate rather than the usual West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) certificate.

But, speaking on Citi TV’s Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, the Education Minister and Bosomtwe Member of Parliament, Yaw Osei Adutwum said no such decision has been taken by his outfit or the Ghana Education Service.