Govt Pays Subsidy For BECE Candidates

Alex Tettey-Enyo — Minister of Education

The government has released GH¢4,911,494 as subsidy for the payment of examination fees for 350,821 candidates taking part in this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Head of the Public Relations of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Charles Parker-Allotey, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that the money would absorb about 70 per cent of the registration fee of each candidate taking part in the examination scheduled to be held from April 19 to April 24, 2010.

Students writing the examination this year would be the first batch of candidates to write the BECE under the 2007 education reform.

The candidates, who are from 10,016 public and private basic schools, will be writing the examination at 1,278 centres. They comprise 191,390 males and 159,498 females.

The candidates will be writing six subjects instead of the previous 10. The subjects are: Mathematics, Science, English, Social Studies, Basic Technology and Ghanaian Language.

Mr Parker-Allotey said the GES was yet to take a decision on whether to use five or all the six subjects (as has been the practice since 2005) for the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) for admissions for the 2010/11 academic year.

Statistics for this year’s BECE made available to the Daily Graphic indicate that the Ashanti Region will present the highest number of candidates of 74,249 made up of 39,960 males and 34,289 females.

It is followed by the Greater Accra Region, which would present 63,481 candidates (31,398 males, 32,083 females). The Eastern Region will present 36,742 candidates, comprising 20,238 males and 16,504 females.

The Central Region will present 35,425 candidates (19,416 males and 16,009 females), Western Region, 35,297 candidates (19,684 males and 15,613 females), Brong Ahafo Region, 32,683 candidates (18,586 males and 14,052 females).

The Volta Region presents 26,231 candidates made up of 15,045 males and 11,186 females. The Northern Region will present 24,331 candidates (14,956 males and 9,375 females). Upper East, 13,580 candidates (7,338 males and 6,242 females) and the Upper West Region, 8,914 candidates (4,769 males and 4,145 females).

At the 2009 West African Examinations Council (WAEC) awards day, the head of National Office of WAEC, Mrs Patience Ayesu, announced that arrangements for the conduct of the maiden BECE under the 2007 education reform were on course.

At the same event, Education Minister , Alex Tettey-Enyo, urged all stakeholders to be up to the task.

The education reform began on September 11, 2007. Under the reform, kindergarten was made part of basic education thereby making basic education 11 years (two years of kindergarten, six years of primary education and three years of JHS) instead of the previous nine years of six years primary school and three years of JHS.

The reform increased the duration of senior high school from three years to four years. The first batch of senior high school students are currently in their third year and will write their final examination, the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), in May/June 2011.