The Role of Standardized Assessments (BECE and WASSCE) in Fostering Educational Inequality in Ghana

• In Event: The Interplay of Discourse, Policy, and Perception in Education Inequities

Abstract

The two standardized tests, i.e., the Basis Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), are significant contributors to the persistent educational injustices in Ghana. This paper aims to use the Intersectionality and Equity-Mindedness theoretical frameworks to critically analyze how the aforementioned standard examinations acting as prerequisites or entrance exams into high school and post-secondary education, respectively, contribute to Ghana's ongoing educational disparity. Students from underprivileged communities often qualify for enrollment into subpar rural high schools (commonly category C schools) or are sometimes disqualified from progressing to high school based on their BECE performances. This trend replicates in higher education since the type of university and program students could pursue depends on their WASSCE performances.

Author

• Mohammed Ibrahim, Arizona State University