The government has announced plans to extend the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) from the current five-day schedule to eight days, a move aimed at reducing pressure on candidates and giving them more time to prepare between papers.

Speaking at Aburi Girls SHS on June 10, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu acknowledged concerns over the current BECE examination schedule, which he said had placed unnecessary pressure on candidates.

“I understand that our schedule of the exams for BECE was just Monday to Friday, and that put many of you under some stress,” Mr Iddrisu said.

He revealed that the government is reviewing the examination calendar to provide students with more preparation time between papers.

“Accordingly, the government is reviewing the BECE exams calendar. So now the BECE will begin on Wednesday and end the following Wednesday so that adequate time is given to our learners to prepare for BECE across the country,” he stated.

Explaining the rationale behind the proposed changes, the Minister said the revised schedule would allow students to benefit from a weekend break during the examination period, with the core subject papers scheduled over consecutive Wednesdays to give candidates more time to prepare for the expanded workload.

Mr Iddrisu added that the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) would oversee the implementation of the revised timetable.

Improvement in School Feeding

The Education Minister also expressed satisfaction with the current state of food supply in senior high schools, noting that the country was experiencing a significant improvement compared to previous years.

“I’m also happy to note that at least for the first time in many years we are not suffering from food shortages in school,” he remarked.

According to him, the government's decision to decap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has strengthened support for the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) feeding programme.

“Thanks to the de-capping of the GETFund, the GETFund through Ghana Commodity Exchange and the Buffer Stock are adequately making sufficient provisions for food,” Mr Iddrisu explained.

He added that the feeding component of the Free SHS policy was now being effectively managed through GETFund financing.

“So at least the feeding component of the free senior high school is now being managed well with GETFund funding,” he said.

The Minister disclosed that the government had allocated a substantial amount towards feeding students nationwide this year.

“This year alone, we allocated four billion Ghana cedis to take care of your feeding across the country,” he announced.

World Bank Approval Expected for Infrastructure Expansion

Mr. Iddrisu further revealed that the government is expecting approval from the World Bank for an ambitious programme aimed at expanding educational infrastructure across the country.

“Only next week the World Bank will meet on the 16th of this month to give approval to what we have promised of expanded infrastructure,” he said.

Under the proposed initiative, several schools will be upgraded to improve facilities and enhance learning conditions for students.

“We intend to convert 30 Category C schools to B and 20 Category B schools to A with 300 million US dollars for expanded infrastructure across the country,” the Minister disclosed.

He noted that Category A schools would also benefit from additional investments.

Commendation for School Leadership

The minister concluded by praising the leadership of the school's headmistress, acknowledging her contribution to the institution's development and the welfare of students.

The announcements form part of the government's broader efforts to improve educational outcomes, enhance student welfare, and strengthen infrastructure within Ghana's education sector.