Education Reform and Infrastructure Push: Stakeholders Seek BECE Subject Reduction and SHS Performance Improvements

Education stakeholders across Ghana are intensifying efforts to overhaul the country's academic performance and infrastructure, focusing on both basic and senior high school levels. In a move to streamline the national curriculum, traditional authorities are advocating for a significant reduction in the number of subjects examined at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). Simultaneously, the Volta Regional Education Directorate has launched a strategic intervention to address declining West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, amidst promises from Parliament to prioritize school logistics and infrastructure under the administration of President John Mahama.

Nana Francis Essel Okyeahene, the Gyasehene of Gomoa Wassa, has formally urged the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to reduce BECE subjects from the current 10 or 11 down to approximately five. He argues that the current academic load is overwhelming for junior high school students and serves as a major contributor to high failure rates. By narrowing the scope of the examination, Nana Okyeahene suggests that the educational system can pivot toward practical, skills-based learning that better prepares youth for the job market, thereby addressing the growing challenge of graduate unemployment.

At the secondary level, the Volta Regional Education Directorate has convened a three-day strategic capacity-building clinic for the heads of all 68 Senior High Schools (SHS) and Senior High Technical Schools (SHTS) in the region. Acting Director Jemima Marian Akua Adzroe expressed serious concern over recent WASSCE performance, revealing that some institutions have recorded zero progression rates. Supported by teacher unions such as the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the clinic focuses on enhancing leadership, analyzing performance data, and developing school-specific action plans to reverse the downward trend in academic outcomes.

Complementing these academic reforms, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Education Committee, Peter Nortsu Kotoe, has assured school leaders that the government is actively working to resolve critical deficits in furniture, vehicles, and infrastructure. While acknowledging that previous funding gaps have hindered progress, Kotoe noted that interventions are underway to complete stalled projects and improve transportation for school management. This aligns with calls from the Ghana Academia Awards for President John Mahama to specifically target rural school infrastructure, ensuring that resource gaps between urban and rural educational centers are bridged to create an equitable learning environment nationwide.