A cross-section of Ghanaians has criticized the Ministry of Education for the declining quality of education in the nation in the wake of the announcement of the BECE (Basic Certificate Examination) results for the class of 2022.
Several Ghanaians claim that this year's BECE results, if not the worst in recent memory in terms of pass rate, would certainly be among the lowest, adding that many applicants failed miserably and were unable to enroll in senior high schools.
The Chief Executive Officer of Marrer Ghana Ltd and Susagtad Boat Building, Mr. Novihoho Afaglo, is one of those speaking out against this trend and called the occurrence a shame to the nation's education.
Mr. Afaglo blamed incoherent policies and programs by political leaders and a lack of political will to grow the sector for this year's poor BECE pass rate and the overall performance of education in the nation.
According to him, there hasn't been a clearly defined educational policy for elementary schools through senior high schools since the administration of previous President Kufour, since each political party keeps adjusting the length and timing of basic education.
"I recall that senior high school length was increased from three to four years at the end of Kufour's government, but when late Presidents John Evans Atta and John Dramani Mahama took over, they changed it again," he said.
According to Mr. Afaglo, over the past 20 years, there hasn't been a single year when teachers and university lecturers haven't gone on strike over issues like poor working conditions, book allowance, research allowance, and other issues that invariably have an impact on the development of education in the nation.
He expressed disappointment with the 2022 BECE results, blaming the low pass percentage on a lack of established programs and policies by the government and the Ghana Education Service to develop strategies for improvement to both the BECE and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination's declining standards.
He tasked the ministry with developing appropriate policies and working diligently to ensure that education, the key to growth, receives the attention it requires.
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