About a third, representing over 300,000 of the group who enrolled in KG 1 during the 2012/2013 academic year, and currently candidates in this year’s 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) cannot be found.

They may have dropped out or repeated classes along the line, while some may have left to pursue international programmes.

In a “10-year analysis of the BECE Participation in Ghana: Progress and Emerging Issues” Africa Education Watch (EDUWATCH), is advocating “further research into the cohort’s survival to understand the specific issues and the magnitude at which they hinder school progression for both boys and girls in order to inform policy.”

It is also recommending that the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service in collaboration with Development Partners and NGOs “urgently convene a conversation on cohort survival and dropouts in Ghana’s basic education system while undertaking further tracer studies into the survival of the 2012/13 cohort.”

Meanwhile, the country has improved the participation of girls in the BECE by registering more girls than boys for the 2023 BECE.

This is a result of decade-old policies and multi-stakeholder interventions to improve girls’ retention and survival in basic schools.

A major reason for the increased participation of girls, EDUWATCH asserts, is the various interventions by government, development partners, and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to enhance girls’ retention in basic schools over the past decade.

According to EDUWATCH, “Between 2014 and 2023, there were 5,073,703 BECE candidates out of which 2,477,931 representing (48.8%) were girls. The average annual growth in BECE candidates over the period is 4.5%.”

Also, “the lowest annual growth in BECE candidates was in 2022 (-3.4%). The highest annual growth in BECE candidates was in 2018 (8.9%). For females, the highest annual growth in BECE candidates was in 2014 (9.18%).”

While, “The second highest annual growth (8.7%) in BECE candidates and highest since 2014 is in 2023, with a total of 600,714 candidates. There are 300,323 male and 300,391 female candidates for the 2023 BECE.”

Meaning, “For the first time in recent history, 68 more girls than boys are BECE candidates.”

The BECE is a terminal summative assessment for basic education in Ghana, meant for certification and selection into Senior High Schools and Technical Institutes in Ghana.

About 600,714 candidates from 18,993 public and private schools are taking part in this year’s examination across the country, which began on Monday, 7 August, and ends on Friday, 11 August 2023.