More than 750,000 applicants for BECE in 2024! Is the free SHS factor on the rise on the scale?

When measuring development and accomplishments in nearly every area of life, there are always some internal or external enhancers or facilitating elements that must be taken into account.

570,461 students are expected to take the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in 2024, therefore it’s understandable that people are searching for reasons why expectations have been raised to this point. There’s nowhere else to look. One such element may be the free SHS policy.

It is understood that the remarkable results originate from 19,506 schools nationwide, with exams administered at 2,123 locations spread throughout Ghana.

Therefore, the declaration made last week by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) regarding the number of candidates taking the exam this week is seen as a decisive win for the free SHS policy. With passing the BECE serving as the entry point, beneficiary parents and their wards have undoubtedly found this enablement to be something to strive for.

The sheer quantity of applicants is both astounding and depressing. Every year, there seems to be greater hope for individuals who, for whatever reason, were unable to complete their education or, even more importantly, break over the SHS barrier.

Therefore, it is reasonable to speculate that since the free SHS policy is still in effect, potential applicants are only keen to meet the “entry” requirements in order to be eligible for the policy. The data released by WAEC in conjunction with this year’s BECE are encouraging and exhilarating, as they demonstrate the fundamental shift in the landscape of free secondary education.

Female contenders

The fact that there were over 100,000 more female participants than male participants out of the overall number of people enrolled for this year excites me the most.

Remarkably, 386,447 female candidates took the test this year, despite the fact that 282,648 male candidates were submitted. There was a slight gender imbalance among the private candidates, with 735 men and 631 women signing up for the test.

But that shouldn’t be too concerning because, with careful analysis, it is possible to make a case for female candidates by pointing out that, given their prior success, fewer of them would have run as independent candidates. Regretfully, no statistics are available to support any assertion.

Even a layperson outside the educational system can see several clear encouragements from a cursory examination of the overall increase in BECE numbers, one of which is the already-existing free SHS scheme.

Who wouldn’t want to pass BECE in order to be eligible for free SHS, after all? In the past, a large portion of that group would have discontinued their basic education owing to budgetary limitations.

The quantity of girls that signed up to take the test is the other thing that really strikes me. It was reported in the past, and even as late as 2021, right after the peak of COVID-19, that a startling number of adolescent girls were quitting school because they were pregnant.

It was revealed at the time that these girls had little hope for their future education, so when they became pregnant “accidentally” while staying at home, they were not motivated to return to school when COVID-19 subsided.

Aside from their financial struggles, they were afraid of being labeled “mothers” by their classmates and stigmatized in their communities. If they had to go back to school, they were worried about who would look after their infants.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) carried out a study on ways to encourage females to stay or return to school after pregnancy in an effort to lessen all of that and get more girls who were forced to drop out of school due to teenage pregnancies back to school. As a result, a unit was established to support those who had become school dropouts.

The GES support unit has helped a lot of girls realize the benefits of staying in the classroom. It is the greatest way to learn new things and a useful tool for prospective employers and employees alike.

The information that comes with continuing education also makes it simple to take charge of one’s own destiny and that of their family.

For the time being, one can only hope and pray that the remarkable number of girls enrolled in basic education and, consequently, BECE, would transfer into academic achievements that enable an equally amazing proportion to continue their education into senior high school and beyond.

We wish our girls the best of luck on their self-determined educational path while simultaneously pushing them to perform even better than they currently do.

I want the overused proverb by Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey—that educating a woman educates not just herself but the entire community—to come true for the female candidates running for BECE in 2024.