Merging 9 BECE subjects into 5 or 6 for 2024 BECE: (Likely outcome explained)
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has hinted that, effective 2024 BECE, candidates will write only 5 subjects instead of the usual 9 subjects, according to the Ghana Education Service.
This decision has come with mixed feelings among stakeholders. Many are wondering how that is going to be possible.
In this post, we share the likely to-be merged subjects and their implications after our critical analysis at the Ghana Education News. This is our internal analysis to contribute to the emerging debate and provide insight into what is likely to be the case.
The nine or ten subjects will be merged into five, which will not reduce the number of subjects taught in schools. However, schools will have to start merging such subjects into their examinations as well to acquaint their candidates with the BECE to be written in 2024.
Students are to learn all the subjects, but WAEC will combine certain subjects so that we have five examinable subjects in 2024.
However, before we look at the subjects to be merged, per our analysis at the Ghana Education News, it is not possible to merge certain subjects. For instance, although English, French, and Ghanaian languages are all languages, they cannot be merged into a single subject. We look forward to the dynamics when the GES announces the merged subjects.
Merging 9 BECE subjects into 5 or 6 for 2024 BECE: (Likely outcome)
Subjects that the GES is going to merge (likely)
- Social and RME (if possible)
- Career Tech and Creative Arts (Merging Possible)
- Mathematics cannot be merged easily.
- Science and Computing (Merging Possible)
- English Language: It cannot be merged easily.
- French cannot be merged easily.
- Ghanaian language cannot be merged easily.
It is impossible to merge the Ghanaian language with French or English.
The above scenario leaves us with five main subjects, numbered 1 to 5, and electives, which will be French and Ghanaian. That reduces the number of subjects to 7. If the GES and the MoE decide to merge science, computing, and mathematics due to the government’s STEM projects, that will leave us with the following:
Subjects that the GES is going to merge (likely) for 2024 BECE
- Social and RME (if possible)
- Career Tech and Creative Arts (Merging Possible)
- Mathematics, Science, and Computing (if possible)
- English Language: It cannot be merged easily.
- French cannot be merged easily.
- The Ghanaian language cannot be easily merged.
This option will leave us with four main subjects’ numbers 1 to 5 and two elective subjects (French and Ghanaian Language).
READ: GES Clarifies Rumour on Reducing 2024 BECE Subjects from 9
Anything beyond this will mean scraping subjects such as French and Ghanaian language, which is highly impossible because students need French to become global citizens in terms of language and they need Ghanaian language and culture to
ensure our local languages, which are part of our identity and culture, do not get messed up by our decision to merge or reduce the number of subjects written at the BECE.
From the above, we can say there will be five main examinable subjects results from the merger plus one or two electives.