BECE Over Eight Days? Rethinking the New Examination Format

“We must help students and their parents understand that grades do not reflect who you are as a learner, but where you are in your learning journey—and ‘where’ you are is always temporary.” Thomas R. Guskey

The recent news about changes to the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) format has sparked significant public debate. The key question is whether the proposed reform is meritorious. According to the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, the previous Monday-to-Friday examination schedule placed excessive stress on students; therefore, the perceived necessity for change. While some commentators argue that the reform is unnecessary, on the other hand, others view it as a positive step toward improving the assessment experience.

First, let us critically examine the issue. Do students actually need an extended period to write examinations based on what they have studied over the past three years? In my view, the answer is simply no. Students do not require a prolonged examination period to demonstrate their learning because assessment is not a one-time event; it is an ongoing process throughout their educational journey.

Educators employ three major assessment approaches. The first is Assessment for Learning (Formative Assessment), which occurs during the learning process and helps identify students’ strengths, weaknesses, and learning gaps in real time. The second is Assessment as Learning (Metacognitive Assessment), where students actively monitor their own progress, evaluate their understanding, and adjust their learning strategies. The third is Assessment of Learning (Summative Assessment), which takes place after learning has occurred and is used to measure, grade, and certify achievement against established standards.

In light of this, by the time students reach their final year of junior high school, they have already undergone numerous assessments. Therefore, they do not need to be re-examined extensively on every aspect of the curriculum covered over three years. The BECE, as a summative assessment, is primarily intended to inform parents, policymakers, and senior high school administrators about the core competencies students have retained and developed during their basic education.

Consequently, I believe our concern should not necessarily be the duration of the examination itself, but rather the quality of the preparation period preceding it. What students need is an adequate buffer or revision window—a period dedicated to reviewing previously learned material, consolidating understanding, and organising their thoughts before the examination.

Ideally, students should be given at least fifteen working days to engage in high-level synthesis, thorough revision, and mastery of key concepts across subjects. This period should not be used for introducing new content. Unfortunately, because there is insufficient time in the academic calendar to cover the curriculum comprehensively, some teachers are compelled to leave out the most difficult subjects until the final weeks to ensure that students will not forget what they have been taught before the examination. This bad practice leaves students overwhelmingly frustrated when the exams are approaching.

The question, however, remains: Do students need more time to write the BECE?

Ironically, a longer examination period may actually increase student stress rather than reduce it. We are all familiar with the anxiety that accompanies examinations. Extended examination schedules often encourage sleep deprivation and prolonged periods of worry, which can increase cortisol levels—the body's primary stress hormone.

Furthermore, the purpose of the BECE is to assess students’ core competencies, not their ability to memorise and reproduce information. A lengthy examination period may inadvertently encourage rote memorisation as students attempt to cram concepts simply to pass. In doing so, we risk losing sight of the true purpose of assessment: evaluating the effectiveness of instruction, identifying areas where educational improvement is needed, enhancing learning experiences, and providing meaningful information about student achievement.

Should we, then, accede to the new reform?
I believe BECE candidates do not require more than seven working days to complete the examination. The Minister of Education has proposed an eight-day schedule, running from Wednesday to Wednesday with a weekend interval. In my view, this arrangement is both practical and beneficial. The weekend break offers students time for revision, reflection, and psychological relief without excessively prolonging the examination period. This structure also enables students to divide their subjects into two manageable phases and prepare more effectively. At the same time, the interval given is not too long for students to demonstrate what they have learned over the past years, which may produce distorted assessment results.

Educational historian Diane Ravitch once remarked:

“Sometimes the most brilliant and intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds.”

These insights highlight an important reality. While assessment remains necessary, we must avoid relying exclusively on rigid and traditional measures of intelligence that reward rote learning at the expense of creativity, innovation, and critical thinking.

As we seek to improve assessment strategies within our education system, we must not lose sight of the broader purpose of education in Ghana: transforming the nation into an industrialised and prosperous society by equipping every citizen to achieve their full potential and contribute meaningfully to sustainable national development.

Personally, I strongly subscribe to the view that true education is not merely academic achievement or preparation for a career. Rather, it is a lifelong and transformative process. Students should be trained to think, analyse, create, and solve problems—not merely to reflect the thoughts of others.

It is therefore time for us to revisit the fundamental reasons behind our educational practices. Are we interested only in students' ability to “chew and pour”—to memorise and reproduce information—or are we genuinely concerned with identifying the skills, competencies, and innovative ideas they have developed to thrive in an increasingly dynamic technological world?

Are examinations merely a mechanism for placing students into senior high schools, or should they serve the broader purpose of generating meaningful insights that inform educational improvement and future policy decisions?

In a recent TED Talk, Dr. Effah Kaufmann remarked that “the Ghana Education System is unable to produce what we want, and yet we are uninterested in getting it to produce what we want; so we wind up producing engineers who don’t engineer.” Although she spoke from the perspective of engineering, her observation reflects a challenge that cuts across the entire Ghanaian education system.

The world is changing rapidly, and our educational practices must evolve accordingly. We must move beyond outdated approaches that prioritize memorisation over understanding and conformity over creativity. More importantly, we must empower learners to think independently, innovate boldly, and apply knowledge meaningfully in solving real-world problems.

Only then can our assessment systems truly serve their purpose—and only then can education fulfil its promise of transforming both individuals and society.

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