Scrape BECE if there’s no funds to organise it — Prof. Joseph Osafo

Professor Joseph Osafo, Head of Psychology at the University of Ghana, has called for the scrapping of the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) if there are insufficient funds to organise it.

Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Prof. Osafo argued against subjecting Ghanaian students to write BECE, emphasising that the formative years of a child should not be marked by intense academic competition.

Instead, he believes students “should be assessed through classwork and tests rather than a high-stakes examination.”

Prof. Osafo questioned the necessity of the BECE in the face of financial constraints.

"Why should we worry these children if there’s no money to fund the exams? Let’s scrape it off," he stated.

He further suggested that if the government cannot pay the debt, they should consider his proposal to eliminate the BECE, allowing students at the basic level to advance to secondary or technical institutions without being examined.

This, he argued, would be in the best interest of the students' futures.

This statement comes in light of fears that this year's BECE may be cancelled due to the government's debt to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

WAEC expects government to pay over GH₵90 million to conduct the exams but has so far received only GH₵2.3 million out of the about GH₵95.83 million needed.

Meanwhile, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip, had previously informed Parliament that the Finance Ministry had released GH¢80 million to WAEC for the BECE.

However WAEC clarified that it has only received GH¢47 million from the government for the conduct of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The examining body is demanding at least 50 percent of the total amount to proceed with the exams scheduled to begin on Monday, July 8, and end on July 15.

Listen to him in the video below: