The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is a significant milestone in the lives of Ghanaian students, as it marks the completion of Junior High School and determines progression to Senior High School. While planning such a national examination involves various logistical considerations, it is important that the welfare of both students and teachers — especially those from rural and underserved communities — is taken into serious account.
One of the emerging challenges relates to the scheduling of the BECE. This year’s pattern of starting the examination midweek (typically on a Wednesday), continuing until Friday, breaking for the weekend, and resuming again the following Monday through to Wednesday has raised genuine concerns. While this may seem like a routine academic calendar decision, for the village teacher and their candidates, this arrangement introduces significant hardship, stress, and risks that need immediate redress.
The Rural Reality: No Examination Centers in the Villages
Many basic schools in rural communities across Ghana do not serve as official examination centers. As a result, candidates are required to travel to nearby towns — sometimes over long distances — to sit for the BECE. Accompanying these candidates are their teachers, who not only serve as guardians and moral support but also ensure candidates are properly settled, fed, and mentally prepared.
These teachers often have to secure temporary accommodation for themselves and the students, usually in borrowed classrooms, makeshift facilities, or community guesthouses. These spaces are not ideal and offer minimal comfort. In most cases, the teachers and students sleep on mattresses or mats on the floor with little to no privacy or protection.
The Weekend Dilemma: Prolonged Stay, Increased Risk
The current scheduling that inserts a weekend break between two examination weeks imposes an unintended burden. Instead of completing the exams within a single week — which would allow candidates and their teachers to return to their communities by Friday — this midweek start forces them to remain at the examination location for over a week.
Staying through the weekend means additional days of catering for the safety, feeding, supervision, and discipline of these young candidates in unfamiliar and unsecured environments. Teachers are placed in a difficult situation — forced to continue acting as caretakers under uncomfortable, resource-constrained conditions without adequate support.
The risk of illness, fatigue, or even social misconduct increases with prolonged stays in such improvised arrangements. Teachers are drained physically and emotionally, especially since they must keep watch over children outside the safe confines of their school and homes. For female teachers supervising both boys and girls, the challenge is even more compounded.
Financial and Logistical Burdens
Another critical issue is the cost. Many village teachers are left to fund their transportation and personal upkeep with minimal or no allowance. Staying an extra weekend adds more financial strain — food, water, sanitation, and basic necessities come at a cost. While urban schools may have nearby centers or boarding facilities to fall on, rural teachers are left to improvise and survive with little to no institutional support.
Moreover, local arrangements for security and health are almost nonexistent in these makeshift examination lodgings. In the event of an emergency — a student falling ill or getting injured — the response time and resources available are limited. It’s not just inconvenient; it’s unsafe.
The Emotional and Mental Toll
Teachers are not only responsible for academic preparation. During the exam period, they double as guardians, nurses, cooks, and counselors. The added weekend stretch means more stress, anxiety, and mental fatigue for both teachers and students. This affects their focus and performance when exams resume on Monday. A candidate who has had to sleep on a hard floor for six nights, under the care of an already exhausted teacher, is at a disadvantage.
A Simple, Practical Solution
To alleviate these challenges, we respectfully propose that WAEC and the Ghana Education Service consider adjusting the BECE timetable such that all papers are administered within a single workweek — preferably from Monday to Friday. This schedule would allow teachers and students to travel at the start of the week, complete the exams in a continuous stretch, and return to their communities before the weekend.
This change would:
- Reduce logistical and financial burdens.
- Improve the safety and well-being of students and teachers.
- Allow candidates to maintain momentum without the disruption of a weekend break.
- Offer more predictability and consistency in exam planning.
Conclusion
The case of the village teacher is one that deserves empathy, recognition, and responsive action. These educators go to great lengths — sometimes literally — to ensure their students succeed. A minor change in the BECE schedule can yield major relief for hundreds of teachers and thousands of students across rural Ghana. We urge WAEC and GES to consider this plea not just as a complaint, but as a practical suggestion grounded in lived experience. Let us work together to ensure equity not only in education delivery but also in examination administration.
Written by a concerned village teacher
Source: GESHub.org
