BECE Cut-Off Points Will Deny Poor Students Their Future – Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum Warns
Former Education Minister argues that introducing BECE cut-off points will deepen educational inequality, denying students from underprivileged communities access to Free SHS.
Former Minister of Education and Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe Constituency, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has warned that the introduction of cut-off points for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduates will be detrimental to students from deprived areas, potentially denying them access to senior high school (SHS) education.
Speaking on the “Ghana Se Sen” Morning Show on Lawson TV/Radio with host Kwame Tanko, Dr. Adutwum emphasized that such a policy would disproportionately affect students from less privileged communities. According to him, some students who obtain low grades in the BECE do so not because of a lack of intelligence but due to their disadvantaged learning environments.
“Some students who got bad grades, if you go to their village, that is their best grade,” he noted, highlighting the disparities in educational resources between urban and rural areas.
Dr. Adutwum further explained that introducing a cut-off point would restrict students from regions such as the Northern Region from benefiting from the Free SHS policy. He stressed that academic potential should not be judged solely based on BECE results, as some students who score poorly in BECE go on to perform exceptionally well in SHS when given the opportunity.
“Some students with bad grades even perform better in SHS than those who obtained good grades in the BECE,” he pointed out, advocating for an inclusive education system that supports academically weaker students rather than excluding them.
He urged policymakers to focus on interventions that support struggling students rather than erecting barriers that could stifle their future opportunities. “You have to help those who are poor academically and not bring a cut-off point,” he stated firmly.
Dr. Adutwum’s remarks come amid ongoing discussions about possible reforms in the Free SHS policy, with proponents of cut-off points arguing that they would improve education quality. However, critics, including Dr. Adutwum, believe such a move would be unfair to students from deprived backgrounds who lack access to quality basic education.
As the debate continues, stakeholders in Ghana’s education sector will have to weigh the potential consequences of such a policy against the broader goal of ensuring equitable access to education for all Ghanaian children.
