BECE timetable to be extended from 5 to 8 days

The Ministry of Education has confirmed it plans to extend the BECE from 5 to 8 days. This will change the 10-subject BECE candidates complete tin a week to a week and three days. This announcement comes on the back of complaints by stakeholders during the just-ended 2026 BECE. According to stakeholders including the African Education Watch, compelling BECE candidates to write two subjects a day over a five-day period is old and needs to be changed. Stakeholders compared the BECE writing period to that of WASSCE candidates, who spend nearly a month or more to write 8 subjects while their colleagues at the Junior High schools write 10 subjects in five days.

According to the Minister of Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, there are plans to extend the duration of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) beyond the current five days. He made this public while speaking to journalists. He disclosed that the plan was part of efforts by the Mahama-led government to reduce stress and pressure on final-year Junior High School when the examination is organized by WAEC.

According to him, the current timetable structure makes the examination stressful for the students who are required to write so many subjects within a short period.

He added that the government is putting in place the relevant plans to make the BECE student-friendly. He made this revelation while inspecting selected schools writing the ongoing WASSCE for school candidates.

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

“So when we start with the core subject on Wednesday, we’ll end with the core subject the next Wednesday, so that at least they have the weekend to prepare for the expanded workload,” the minister stated.

He added that Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, the GES boss, will work on this project to help revise the BECE examination timetable.

When completed, the period is expected to be extended from 5 days to 8 days. This may lead to students writing one subject on certain days and two subjects on other days. Should this happen, most core subjects such as Mathematics, science, and English language may be administered alone on days they are written.

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The decision to review the BECE timetable and extend its duration from the current 5 days to 8 days follows concerns raised by stakeholders, including education policy think tank Africa Education Watch, that the current five-day examination schedule places undue stress on students and limits the time available for preparation between subjects.

The BECE timetable being extended is welcome news for all stakeholders; however, it will come with its own logistics challenges for schools, parents, and teachers. Watch out for our next story on this as we dig deeper into the pros and cons of such a move and how stakeholders can deal with them.

Many have welcomes the BECE timetable to be extended from 5 to 8 days as a timely intervention.