The Ghana Education Service (GES) has clarified that there are no plans to lower the number of subjects offered in the 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to five, as recently rumoured.
In a Facebook post, the GES stated that no decision had been made regarding reducing the number of subjects for junior high school students in the 2024 BECE.
It urged everyone to disregard any information or videos circulating about candidates writing only five subjects in the examination this year.
“This is fake! Kindly disregard any information or video in circulation suggesting that BECE candidates will write five subjects this year,” clarified the GES.
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This clarification comes in response to statements made by Prince Charles Agyemang-Duah, the Director of the Schools and Instructions Division at GES, during an interview with MX24.
Agyemang-Duah had mentioned that 2024 BECE candidates would only be required to tackle five subjects in the examination.
According to the GES staff, the decision to potentially reduce the number of subjects was based on a collaborative effort with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NACCA) and other stakeholders.
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Agyemang-Duah explained that some of the previous nine subjects appeared to overlap and potentially duplicated content. As a result, the subject “Our World Our People” was identified as redundant and will be eliminated from the curriculum.
“We realized that the number of subjects the students learn at a particular stage was too much, and there were some subjects that were more or less like repetition”
He emphasized that the goal is to ensure that learning is viewed as a productive experience rather than a burden for students.
Agyemang-Duah stated in the interview that starting in 2024, BECE candidates will only be assessed in five subjects, representing a thoughtful and strategic approach to curriculum development.
“starting 2024 BECE, candidates will now be assessed in five subjects, reflecting a thoughtful and strategic approach to curriculum development. So, in 2024, five subjects are going to be written by the candidates.”
The five assessed subjects he stated include general knowledge, mathematics, English language, integrated science, and a Ghanaian language.
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Additionally, basic courses in social studies, religion and ethics, and information and communication technologies will also be considered during the examination.
However, the statement from the GES clears the air and confirms that the rumours of reducing BECE subjects to five in 2024 are false.