The growing national conversation on the structure of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), sparked by concerns raised by Africa Education Watch (EduWatch), presents Ghana with a timely opportunity to rethink the purpose, content and psychological burden of assessment at the basic school level.

EduWatch’s description of requiring young learners to sit ten subjects within five days as “torture” reflects a concern shared by many parents, teachers, psychologists and education reform advocates.  

As an organisation committed to education leadership, policy innovation and transformational learning outcomes across Africa, CELPI Africa fully supports the call for a comprehensive review of the BECE structure.

The issue is not merely about reducing examination papers; it is fundamentally about redefining what Ghanaian basic education should achieve in the 21st century.

For decades, Ghana’s basic education system has largely rewarded memorisation, examination endurance and subject overload instead of creativity, ethics, collaboration, innovation and emotional well-being.

The current BECE arrangement forces learners, many between ages 13 and 16, to sit approximately ten papers in five consecutive days under intense psychological pressure.

At a developmental stage where learners are still forming emotional resilience and identity, such a system contributes significantly to anxiety, burnout and unhealthy academic competition.

Global evidence increasingly shows that high-stakes examination pressure negatively affects learners’ mental health, self-esteem and long-term learning outcomes. Across many countries, education systems are moving away from excessive subject loads toward competency-based learning models that prioritise literacy, numeracy, critical thinking, citizenship and socio-emotional development.

It is therefore refreshing that EduWatch has reignited this national debate.  

Why Ghana Must Reduce Basic School Subjects

CELPI Africa proposes that Ghana gradually restructures the BECE into four broad interdisciplinary learning areas: Language Literacy (English Language, Ghanaian Language and French), Numeracy, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), Character Development.

This model aligns more closely with emerging global education trends and competency-based curricula being adopted in countries such as Finland, Singapore, Canada and Rwanda.

In Finland, for example, education increasingly emphasises phenomenon-based learning, where students learn through integrated themes rather than isolated subjects.

Singapore’s education reforms place growing emphasis on values, citizenship, innovation and 21st-century competencies rather than examination overload. Rwanda’s competence-based curriculum similarly integrates citizenship, entrepreneurship and ethical values into mainstream education delivery.

Ghana cannot continue using a largely 20th-century examination structure to prepare learners for a rapidly evolving global economy driven by artificial intelligence, digital transformation, creativity and emotional intelligence.

Character Development Must Become a Standalone Subject

One of the most urgent reforms Ghana needs is the elevation of character education into a standalone and examinable subject area. Academic excellence without integrity produces intellectually capable but ethically weak societies.

Across the world, nations are deliberately investing in values-based education to nurture responsible citizenship, patriotism, discipline and ethical leadership.

Countries such as Japan prioritise moral education through dedicated lessons focused on honesty, respect, empathy and responsibility. In South Korea, ethics and civic responsibility are central components of basic education.

Singapore has institutionalised “Character and Citizenship Education” to cultivate national identity, resilience and social harmony.

Within Africa, Kenya and Rwanda are increasingly integrating citizenship, peace education and moral instruction into their curricula to build national cohesion and responsible youth leadership. Ghana must do same.

Character Development as a standalone subject should teach: Ethics and integrity, Ghanaian family values, Citizenship and constitutional responsibilities, Patriotism and nation-building, Anti-corruption values, Emotional intelligence, Community service, Leadership and volunteerism, Digital responsibility, Peaceful coexistence and tolerance.

At a time when society faces increasing concerns over corruption, indiscipline, cybercrime, drug abuse and declining civic responsibility among sections of the youth, schools must become intentional spaces for nurturing values and national consciousness.

Education should not merely produce students who can pass examinations. It must produce citizens who can build nations.

Rethinking the BECE Timetable

Beyond subject reduction, CELPI Africa also proposes a more humane and learner-centered examination timetable structure.

The Ministry of Education and the West African Examinations Council should consider restructuring the BECE schedule into one paper per day, organised as follows: Monday — Paper 1, Tuesday — Paper 2, Wednesday — Rest and psychological recovery day, Thursday — Paper 3, Friday — Paper 4.

This arrangement would significantly reduce fatigue, cognitive overload and emotional stress while improving concentration and performance quality.

Research in educational psychology consistently shows that excessive testing within compressed timeframes reduces retention, weakens performance and heightens examination anxiety among adolescents. A humane examination structure is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of educational maturity.

Ghana Must Shift from Certification to Competence

The current structure of Ghana’s basic education system remains heavily examination centered. Yet employers and universities worldwide increasingly value creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, adaptability, emotional intelligence and ethical leadership above rote memorisation.

Ironically, despite learners studying many subjects, concerns about literacy and numeracy gaps persist nationwide.   This suggests that quantity of examinable subjects does not necessarily translate into quality learning outcomes.

The future of education lies not in how many subjects students can memorise, but in how effectively they can think, innovate, communicate and contribute to society.

Policy Recommendations to the Minister for Education

CELPI Africa respectfully proposes the following policy recommendations to the Honourable Minister for Education: Establish a national stakeholder committee to review the BECE structure. Reduce examinable BECE subjects into four integrated learning areas, introduce Character Development as a compulsory standalone subject, transition gradually toward competency-based assessment models, redesign the BECE timetable to one paper per day with a midweek rest period.

Strengthen school-based continuous assessment systems, expand guidance and counseling services in basic schools to support learner mental health, incorporate project-based and practical assessments into placement systems, align Ghana’s curriculum reforms with African Union and UNESCO education transformation frameworks, prioritise learner well-being as a core education policy objective.

Conclusion

The debate sparked by EduWatch should not be politicised. Rather, it should inspire a national reflection on what kind of learners, citizens and future leaders Ghana seeks to nurture. The children writing the BECE today are not examination machines.

They are future scientists, entrepreneurs, teachers, innovators, public servants and nation builders. An education system that overwhelms them with excessive examinations while neglecting values, creativity and emotional well-being risks producing academically trained but socially disconnected citizens.

Ghana now has an opportunity to lead Africa in building a modern, humane and values-driven basic education system.

The time to reform the BECE is now.