Don’t force schools and programme selection and choices on 2024 BECE candidates. Consider their talents and academic strenght not taste and preference.
Did you know that the school selection for 2024 BECE candidates begins after the 2024 BECE? Dr. Eric Nkansah, the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, announced this as part of his goodwill message to all candidates writing the 2024 BECE.
On Monday, July 15, 2024, the 2024 BECE examination will conclude, followed by the school selection phase. During this stage, parents, with the help of schools and teachers, will be selecting secondary, technical, and vocational schools for their wards.
Since the performance of the candidates will be a determining factor as to which school they will be placed in, parents and stakeholders are advised not to free SHS schools and programmes for 2024 BECE candidates.
If you want your ward to study science at the SHS but he or she believes that he is cut out for general arts, for instance, do not force the general sciences on him or her. If, as a parent, you feel that your ward should pursue a secondary school program, but he has expressed a preference for a technical program, please refrain from imposing the secondary school program and its associated school on him.
Parents must find better ways of informing and educating their children on the reasons why they want the learner to make some particular choices.
It is crucial to emphasize that while parents must contribute to the decision-making process, they should also consider the advice and input from teachers, schools, and the student, who is the primary stakeholder in the entire school selection and program choice process.
Forcing schools and programs on students has more negative and long-term unfavorable implications for the learner, his or her preferred career path, and profession.
Again, let us not forget that the student will be doing all the study, irrespective of the programme chosen. If he or she is not connected to the choices made and it is imposed on him or her, his or her senior high school performance and studies may suffer.
We must carefully select schools and programs during the 2024 school selection phase. Parents and their wards are not to make choices based on their tastes and preferences, but rather on the academic performance and strength of the candidate.
The shift of the school selection process to “after the exam” is a positive development. This offers candidates a fair idea of their likely performance in the BECE. Selecting the schools before the main examination gives them the opportunity to make more informed choices.
This is not to say that candidates who choose schools after they have written the BECE make the right choices all the time. For example, in 2023, more than 100,000 students selected 11 schools, yet they were required to complete self-placement upon the release of school placement results.
Read From Failure to 6-Ones at the BECE: How My Story Changed
Let us all be extra careful when we are selecting schools for the students. Do not force free SHS schools and programs for 2024 BECE candidates. All parents must take the Free SHS school selection seriously and know that your ward can be placed in any of the schools chosen. Check this post >>>GES releases 2024 Free SHS School Selection Update for more updates on this. Please SHS schools selection choices should not be forced on learners.
Leave a Reply