The silent strain: Why it is time to end the unfair exam burden on Ghana’s junior high school students
FOR over 30 years, a quiet injustice has been woven into the fabric of Ghana’s education system. Every year, hundreds of thousands of young students, barely in their teens, sit for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) under a regimen that would test even the most seasoned adult. They are required to write two demanding papers each day, a compressed schedule that stands in stark contrast to the more measured pace afforded to their older counterparts in senior high school. This is not a minor administrative detail, it is a systemic inequity that compromises the well-being and potential of our nation’s youth.
The glaring disparity
Consider the timeline: Senior High School (SHS) students, typically aged 17-19, often have their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) spread over a month. They have days to breathe, revise, and recover between subjects. Meanwhile, BECE candidates, aged 13–16 on average, are marshalled through a gruelling conveyor belt of two subjects daily. The cognitive and emotional load this places on developing adolescents is immense. Concentration wanes, fatigue sets in, and the pressure cooker environment can undermine the very performance the examination seeks to measure.
They have coped, so why change? A flawed argument
A common retort from defenders of the status quo is, the system has worked for years, and students have managed. This argument confuses endurance with equity, and silence with satisfaction. The fact that children have not mounted a loud protest does not mean the system is fair; it means their voices have been institutionally overlooked. We mistake their resilience for consent. The principle is simple: what is good for the older student should be adjusted humanely for the younger, more vulnerable one. True progress demands we scrutinise traditions not for their longevity, but for their justice.
The overlooked hardships
The impact of this condensed schedule goes beyond mere stress. It amplifies specific, often-ignored challenges:
Health and well-being: Many girls sit through exams battling severe menstrual cramps. In the current BECE format, such an episode can catastrophically affect performance in multiple subjects over consecutive days. For SHS students, a similar challenge likely impacts only on one paper, with time to recuperate before the next.
Developmental vulnerability: These are children undergoing rapid physical, emotional, and psychological changes. The relentless pace denies them the crucial downtime needed for memory consolidation and stress management, which their senior colleagues enjoy.
Diminished performance: The goal of any examination is to accurately assess a student’s capability. When students are examined under duress, we are not testing knowledge alone; we are testing endurance under inequitable conditions. This may inadvertently contribute to outcomes that don’t truly reflect a student’s ability.
A matter of constitutional and moral principle
Ghana’s Constitution espouses equality and respect for the dignity of all persons. The current BECE structure implicitly violates this spirit by imposing a disproportionately heavy burden on our youngest examinees. Equality before the law must translate to equity in opportunity. Denying junior high students a humane examination timeline while helping their counterparts’ senior high students is a denial of this fundamental right.
The path to reform: A call for equity
The solution is clear, achievable, and mirrors the existing standard for older students: extend the BECE timeline. Ideally, spreading the examination over two to three weeks, allowing for a maximum of one paper per day, would bring immediate relief. This reform would:
I. Align with best practices: It would mirror the SHS model, creating a consistent standard of care across pre-tertiary education.
ii. Promote fairer outcomes: Students could approach each paper rested and prepared, allowing their results to more accurately reflect their understanding.
ii. Demonstrate respect: It would send a powerful message to our children that their well-being is as important as their performance.
Conclusion: It is Time to Listen
We cannot continue to sacrifice the comfort and optimal performance of children on the altar of the way it has always been done. These young learners need our advocacy, not our apathy. They carry the future of Ghana in their book bags. The least we can do is lighten their load by granting them a fair and humane examination schedule.
Let this be a call to the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, policymakers, parents, and all stakeholders: study this issue with the urgency it deserves. Let us reform the BECE not because it has failed, but because we can do better. Let us give every child, not just the older ones, an equal and dignified shot at success. The time for change is now.
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A Teacher at Kadjebi E. P. JHS.Join our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
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