Concerns Raised over the Lack of Textbooks for Junior High School Students in the Upcoming BECE

The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has expressed apprehensions regarding the potential dearth of textbooks for students in Junior High School (JHS) who will be taking the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

As the curriculum shifted with the finalization of the Common Core curriculum by the government, Mr. Asare highlighted the need for timely provision of textbooks.

Speaking on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, Mr. Asare pointed out that the Common Core curriculum and the primary school curriculum did not reach finalization simultaneously.

This, he noted, affects the availability of textbooks for JHS students using the Common Core curriculum.

The first batch of students under the new curriculum is expected to take the BECE next year.

Mr. Asare expressed concern that without efforts to provide textbooks between now and June, these students might be compelled to “write BECE without seeing any textbooks.”

One significant obstacle to the availability of textbooks, according to Mr. Asare is an issue between publishers and the government.

The publishers claim they have not been paid for their services, resulting in a considerable delay in producing the necessary textbooks.

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“When they were promised that the government was giving them 100% local content in the publication of textbooks, they were all happy, and they went and procured loans to print textbooks, and then they have not been paid. They owe about 90% of what they do,” explained Mr. Asare.

Highlighting the financial strain on publishers, he underscored the significant investment required for textbook production.

Mr. Asare emphasized that if publishers have not been paid, it implies that the textbooks are not ready, and the procurement process has not even started.

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Considering these challenges, Mr Asare expressed scepticism about the availability of junior school textbooks between now and the next BECE, raising concerns about the potential impact on the students’ academic preparation.