Education

Government to Cancel BECE and Extend SHS to 6 Years – FREE SHS BILL

Government to Cancel BECE and Extend SHS to 6 Years - FREE SHS BILL

The Free Senior High School Bill, 2024, is set to be presented to Cabinet for debate this week. Drafted by the Ministry of Education, this bill aims to provide legal backing for free and compulsory education at the senior high school (SHS) level.

Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, announced last Friday that the bill includes a proposal to decouple junior high school (JHS) from basic school, integrating it into secondary education to create a six-year secondary education system.

Metro Lens

Another key proposal is the cancellation of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) as a prerequisite for admission to secondary school; instead, it will be used solely for school selection purposes.

Upon passing, the completion of SHS will be the first formal certificate obtainable in the country, replacing the BECE certification. Dr. Adutwum emphasized the need for legislation to ensure the sustainability of the Free SHS policy, making it a mandatory provision that future governments cannot easily abolish.

Currently, the 1992 Constitution guarantees free compulsory universal basic education (FCUBE). Dr. Adutwum highlighted the substantial increase in SHS enrollment due to the Free SHS policy, with over 505,000 students entering their first year this year, the highest in Ghana’s history.

Despite the success, some students, not yet of working age, opt out of continuing to SHS. Dr. Adutwum argued that compulsory secondary education is essential to prevent such students from becoming vulnerable to crime and to ensure every child receives an education.

The proposed bill also addresses the issue of students being turned away from public schools due to low BECE scores, leading to the proliferation of private secondary schools. Dr. Adutwum stressed the necessity of the bill to maintain the inclusivity and accessibility of SHS education.

The proposal to integrate JHS into secondary education aims to provide a seamless six-year secondary education, with new schools designed to accommodate both JHS and SHS levels on the same campus. The bill also seeks to reintroduce a system similar to the old Middle School and Secondary School structure, where the Common Entrance Examination was used for secondary school selection.

The Free SHS policy, since its inception in 2017, has enrolled over 3.04 million students, though it has faced challenges related to feeding, accommodation, and the educational calendar. Some educationists and think tanks have called for a review to ensure parents who can afford it contribute to their children’s education, raising revenue to address these challenges.

The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has challenged the Minority in Parliament to state their position on the Free SHS legislation. In response, the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, clarified that the Minority has not opposed the Free SHS policy and urged the government to expedite the presentation of the bill to Parliament.

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