BECE for School has increased streetism in the country – Politician

A politician citing the upsurge of streetism in the country has called on the central government to cancel the conduct of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) administered to final-year Junior High School students every year.

A member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Nana Ofori Owusu who appealed in an interview with Accra-based Peace 104.3 FM said the administration of the BECE for School by the West African Exams Council is useless.

According to him, the annual conduct of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School for prospective final-year Junior High School students is one major factor contributing to streetism in Ghana.

Nana Ofori Owusu noted that the majority of Ghanaian children are hawking on the streets in the country because they failed the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), which discouraged them to further their education.

“We have to abolish BECE. The examination is not necessary . . . The statistics show that the majority of students fail the examination. This is a very wicked system . . . PPP is of the view that this BECE thing should be abolished,” he stressed.

After the BECE has been abolished, the politician says the government can consider automatic placement of all Junior High School (JHS) students to various Senior High Schools (SHSs) across the country and annul the BECE thing.

“You can’t have an education policy that sifts school children to stay home. If you’re sifting in terms of where their interests are and where their strengths are, it’s a different issue,” the PPP chairman stressed.

He added “but if you’re sifting to make someone go ahead and leave others behind, it’s a dangerous sifting . . . You can’t have a system where at the age of 13 years old, some children are at home and selling bread, dog chains and so forth on the streets”

“You can’t have this system because it is a wicked system. The system is not for most of us; it is for the least of us,” Nana Owusu told the host of Peace 104. 3 FM’s Kokrokoo show.

Meanwhile, over 500,000 BECE candidates from more than 18,000 public and private Junior High Schools are expected to participate in the 2022 edition of the national examination slated for October 17, 2022, at 2,158 centres