Although Ghana has registered increased participation of girls in its 2014–2023 Basic Education Certification Examination (BECE), Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) has reported some concerns.

Development Diaries reports that EduWatch reported in an analysis of the BECE data that 300,000 pupils of the 2012/2013 cohort were not captured as they could have dropped out of school.

Nearly 623,500 children of primary school age in Ghana are out of school, according to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

The BECE is a terminal summative assessment of basic education in Ghana meant for certification and selection of pupils into senior high school and technical institutions following an 11-year duration.

The programme was designed to ensure children complete a comprehensive schooling curriculum as a measure to increase literacy and curb the number of children out of school.

However, analysing the data from the education ministry shows 33 percent of pupils enrolled for the 2012/2013 cohort, mostly girls, did not complete the programme despite the increased percentage rate.

This raises concern as to why this has occurred with EduWatch stressing that the percentage unaccounted for is due to children dropping out of the programme.

It is, therefore, necessary for Ghana’s Ministry of Education to undertake further research into the cohort’s survival to understand the specific issues.

Development Diaries calls on the government to collaborate with development partners, and NGOs to undertake further studies into the survival of the 2012/2013 cohort.

Photo source: UNICEF