‘Wholesale BECE placement should stop’

A concerned public-school teacher in his letter in the Daily Graphic of Monday, November 11, 2023, was of the view that there was the need for education authorities to do something about getting learners in public schools serious to improve quality education at the basic level. 

Lamenting the current state of affairs where students who performed poorly with bad aggregates above 36 were placed in Senior High School (SHS), the writer added that students nowadays did not strive for excellent aggregates, because they knew they would be placed regardless of bad grades.

Thus, students did not see the need to study hard.

The writer, a concerned, saw that as part of the reasons for the falling standards of education at the basic level and asked the authorities to act.

I strongly agree with the writer of the letter and add that the Ministry of Education, as well as other stakeholders should take the steps to address the situation before it gets out of hand.

To encourage students to strive hard in their educational pursuits, there is the need to raise the bar in terms of aggregates for SHS placement.

I suggest that any aggregate above 30 should not qualify for placement.

This should be factored into any future review of the Free SHS. 

Everywhere in the world, scholarship is on merit.

Learners need to be challenged to study hard.

This will challenge both teachers and learners alike to sit up and in doing so, the quality of education will improve.

The government needs to also take keen interest in resourcing basic schools if it desires quality to improve. 

Roland Naab Timbil (ACII),
Actuarial Analyst and Chartered Insurer.

E-mail: ronatby@yahoo.com