The head of the Public Affairs Unit at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), John Kapi, has revealed that the current format of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ghana is bound to change.
In an interview, Mr. Kapi explained that the possible change in the BECE format is due to Ghana’s increasing population and workforce requirements.
“There is always a possibility of changing the format depending on the population and the manpower needs of the country and so it is possible that the exam’s format can change,” Mr. Kapi noted.
Regarding the ongoing BECE examinations, Mr Kapi assured the public that rigorous measures are in place to uphold the integrity of the assessment process.
He urged all stakeholders—candidates, parents, teachers, and supervisors—to maintain ethical standards and avoid any form of exam malpractice.
“We have appealed to all the candidates, parents, guardians, teachers, and supervisors, and what we are saying is that we don’t expect the candidates to come to the exam hall with any foreign material and they should do independent work and should not solicit support from anybody within or outside the examination hall. No smart watches or any form of electronic gadget should be brought to the exam hall,” he added in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Citi FM.
A total of 569,005 final-year Junior High School (JHS) students are partaking in the maiden BECE under the new Common Core Curriculum.
The basic education system is guided by a carefully designed body of knowledge, skills, values and core competencies.
The introduction of the Common Core Curriculum also signifies a shift in teaching methodologies, promoting creativity, inclusivity, and improved classroom assessment practices among educators.
Furthermore, the 2024 BECE session has been extended to six days, accommodating three new subjects: Career Technology, Creative Art and Design, and Arabic, as part of curriculum expansion initiatives.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr Eric Nkansah in his goodwill message to all candidates encouraged them to make history as the first group of students to be examined on the newly introduced Common Core Curriculum — the standards-based curriculum.