BECE papers must be reduced to just four subjects; ten is a torture — Kofi Asare

The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has criticised the number of subjects written within the five-day Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) period.

The BECE serves as a transition point for candidates seeking placement into senior high schools and technical institutions under Ghana’s education system.

Currently, candidates; Form Three Junior High School students across the country, are required to write up to ten subjects.

In a social media post on Thursday, May 7, the education advocate described the number of subjects as excessive and burdensome for students.

“Piling 10 subjects over a 5-day high-stakes BECE just for school placement is torture on learners. Reduce to 4 subjects: Math, English, Science & General Paper. Others even use aptitude test plus continuous assessment. This is 2026, not 1996,” the post reads.

A total of 620,141 candidates from 20,395 schools across the country began writing the examination on Monday, May 4.

Officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES) have assured that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure a smooth and credible examination process.