| Peer-Reviewed

A Trend Analysis of Junior High School Pupils’ Performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ghana

Received: 10 August 2021     Accepted: 27 August 2021     Published: 6 September 2021
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

In recent times, parents and other stakeholders in the field of education have expressed worries regarding the poor performance of pupils in rural and public schools in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) compared to their counterparts in urban and private schools in Ghana. This study examines the performance trends of urban, rural, public and private Junior High Schools in the BECE over a 5-year period. The study made use of secondary data which reflected the indicators of pupils’ performance in the BECE. The data obtained were analysed using percentages, frequency counts, and time-series graphs. The findings of this research showed that the proportion of pupils who passed the BECE in rural schools were less than those who passed in the urban schools in Ghana. It was further observed that although the performance trends for both public and private schools were not so different for 2016, 2017, and 2018, more pupils in public than private schools passed the BECE. Based on the findings, the Ministry of Education and all relevant stakeholders in the area of education are encouraged to ensure equitable distribution of resources in terms of infrastructure, teaching and learning resources, adequate and competent teachers to both urban and rural schools to promote the enhancement of pupils’ performance in rural schools.

Published in International Journal of Elementary Education (Volume 10, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211003.15
Page(s) 79-86
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Junior High School (JHS), Performance, Rural, Urban, Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE)

References
[1] Abreh, M. K. (2017). Involvement of school management committees in school-based management: Experiences from two districts of Ghana. Educational Planning, 24, 61-75.
[2] United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific [UN ESCAP] (2015). Statistical Yearbook for Asia and Pacific 2015, SDG 4. Retrieved from https://www.unescap.org/ sites/default/files/SYB2015_Full_Publication.pdf
[3] Bruns, B., Mingat, A., & Rakotomalala, R. (2003). A chance for every child: Achieving universal primary education by 2015. Washington, DC: World Bank.
[4] Akinbote, O. (2001). The Nigerian primary school teachers: Angels of instruction or devils of destruction. Nigerian Journal of Educational Philosophy, 7 (1), 35-40.
[5] United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation [UNESCO] (2005). Cultural heritage, creativity and education for all in Africa; for education in the arts and creativity in primary and secondary schools. Regional Conference on Arts Education, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
[6] World Bank. (2004). Monitoring and evaluation: Some tools methods and approaches. Retrieved from http://www.worldbank.org/oed/ecd/.
[7] Ministry of Education (2003) Education Strategic Plan 2003-2015: Policy, strategy and targets - Volume 1. Accra, Ghana: Ministry of Education.
[8] Adu-Gyamfi, S., Donkoh, W. J., & Addo, A. A. (2016). Educational reforms in Ghana: Past and present, Journal of Education and Human Development, 5 (3), 158-172.
[9] Quainoo, E. A., Quansah, F., Adams, F., & Opoku, E. (2020). Comparative review of educational reforms, policies, and systems: A case of China and Ghana. Journal of Comparative Studies and International Education (JCSIE), 2 (1), 5-22.
[10] Ghana Education Service (2016). Education sector performance report. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url.
[11] Ansah A. (2017). A descriptive assessment of higher education access, participation, equity, and disparity in Ghana. Retrieved from http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/
[12] Abdallah, H., Fuseini, M. N., Abudu, A. M., & Nuhu, Y. (2014). Dilemma of basic school pupils in Northern Ghana with respect to their learning context. Education Research International, 1, 1-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/140737
[13] Adamoah, Y. K., & Acquah, J. (2016). Determinants of students’ performance in basic education certificate examination (BECE) in the Upper East Region of Ghana: A case study of Kassena-Nankana West District (KNWD). American Journal of Research Communication, 4 (10), 91-107.
[14] Amuzu, S., Ankalibazuk, A., & Abdulai, S. I. (2017). Low performance of pupils in BECE: A case study of Sagnarigu District in Northern Region, Ghana. International Journal of Advance Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, 4 (7), 4176-4184.
[15] Ankoma-Sey, V. R., Asamoah, D., Quansah, F., & Aheto, S. K. (2019). Factors affecting junior high school pupils’ performance in mathematics in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. Staff and Educational Development International, 24 (3), 120-129.
[16] Ansah, J. K., Quansah, F., Nugba, R. M. (2020). ‘Mathematics Achievement in Crisis’: Modelling the influence of teacher knowledge and experience in senior high schools in Ghana. Open Education Studies, 2, 265-276. https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2020-0129
[17] Fletcher, J. (2018). Performance in Mathematics and Science in basic schools in Ghana. Academic Discourse: An International Journal, 10 (1), 1-18.
[18] Gyan, C., Mabefam, M. G., & Baffoe, M. (2014). Push out or drop out? Taking a critical look at the poor and drop-out of students of the JSS/JHS programme in Ghana. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 3 (1), 409-420.
[19] Mohammed, F., Asare-Bediako, M., & Aboagye, P. (2016). Factors contributing to the low academic achievement of students at the basic education certificate examination in some public junior high schools of a political district in the Western Region of Ghana: Students’ and teachers’ perspective. International Journal of Mathematics and Statistics Studies, 4 (3), 1-10.
[20] Nugba, R. M. (2021). The status of educational input factors in junior high schools in the Central Region of Ghana. American Journal of Education and Learning, 6 (1), 50-63.
[21] Mills, E. D., & Mereku, D. K. (2016). Students’ performance on the Ghanaian junior high school mathematics national minimum standards in the Effutu Municipality. African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, 12, 25-34.
[22] Alhassan, I. (2016). A comparative assessment of the academic performance among public and private junior high schools in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana. A thesis submitted to the Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.
[23] Okyerefo, M. P. K., Fiaveh, D. Y., & Lamptey, S. N. L. (2011). Factors prompting pupils’ academic performance in privately owned junior high schools in Accra, Ghana. International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 3 (8), 280-289.
[24] Ampiah, J. G. (2010). Quality basic education in Ghana: Prescription, praxis and problems. Paper delivered at the Experience Sharing Seminar, Accra, Ghana.
[25] Ghana New Agency (2015). 6 schools scored 0% in BECE in the Central Region. Retrieved from https://newsghana.com.gh/6-schools-scored-0-in-bece/
[26] Abreh, M. K., Owusu, K. A., Amedahe, F. K. (2018). Trends in performance of WASSCE candidates in the science and mathematics in Ghana: Perceived contributing factors and the way forward. Journal of Education, 198 (1), 113-123.
[27] Amedahe, F. K., & Asamoah-Gyimah, K. (2015). Introduction to educational research. Cape Coast: UCC Printing Press.
[28] Tripathy, J. P. (2013). Secondary data analysis: Ethical issues and challenges. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 42 (12), 1478-1479.
[29] Jol, G., & Stommel, W. (2016). Ethical considerations of secondary data use What about informed consent? Dutch Journal of Applied Linguistics, 5 (2), 180-195.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Regina Mawusi Nugba, Frank Quansah, Francis Ankomah, Enoch Ewoenam Tsey, Vera Rosemary Ankoma-Sey. (2021). A Trend Analysis of Junior High School Pupils’ Performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ghana. International Journal of Elementary Education, 10(3), 79-86. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211003.15

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Regina Mawusi Nugba; Frank Quansah; Francis Ankomah; Enoch Ewoenam Tsey; Vera Rosemary Ankoma-Sey. A Trend Analysis of Junior High School Pupils’ Performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ghana. Int. J. Elem. Educ. 2021, 10(3), 79-86. doi: 10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211003.15

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Regina Mawusi Nugba, Frank Quansah, Francis Ankomah, Enoch Ewoenam Tsey, Vera Rosemary Ankoma-Sey. A Trend Analysis of Junior High School Pupils’ Performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ghana. Int J Elem Educ. 2021;10(3):79-86. doi: 10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211003.15

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211003.15,
      author = {Regina Mawusi Nugba and Frank Quansah and Francis Ankomah and Enoch Ewoenam Tsey and Vera Rosemary Ankoma-Sey},
      title = {A Trend Analysis of Junior High School Pupils’ Performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ghana},
      journal = {International Journal of Elementary Education},
      volume = {10},
      number = {3},
      pages = {79-86},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211003.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211003.15},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijeedu.20211003.15},
      abstract = {In recent times, parents and other stakeholders in the field of education have expressed worries regarding the poor performance of pupils in rural and public schools in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) compared to their counterparts in urban and private schools in Ghana. This study examines the performance trends of urban, rural, public and private Junior High Schools in the BECE over a 5-year period. The study made use of secondary data which reflected the indicators of pupils’ performance in the BECE. The data obtained were analysed using percentages, frequency counts, and time-series graphs. The findings of this research showed that the proportion of pupils who passed the BECE in rural schools were less than those who passed in the urban schools in Ghana. It was further observed that although the performance trends for both public and private schools were not so different for 2016, 2017, and 2018, more pupils in public than private schools passed the BECE. Based on the findings, the Ministry of Education and all relevant stakeholders in the area of education are encouraged to ensure equitable distribution of resources in terms of infrastructure, teaching and learning resources, adequate and competent teachers to both urban and rural schools to promote the enhancement of pupils’ performance in rural schools.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - A Trend Analysis of Junior High School Pupils’ Performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ghana
    AU  - Regina Mawusi Nugba
    AU  - Frank Quansah
    AU  - Francis Ankomah
    AU  - Enoch Ewoenam Tsey
    AU  - Vera Rosemary Ankoma-Sey
    Y1  - 2021/09/06
    PY  - 2021
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211003.15
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211003.15
    T2  - International Journal of Elementary Education
    JF  - International Journal of Elementary Education
    JO  - International Journal of Elementary Education
    SP  - 79
    EP  - 86
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-7640
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211003.15
    AB  - In recent times, parents and other stakeholders in the field of education have expressed worries regarding the poor performance of pupils in rural and public schools in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) compared to their counterparts in urban and private schools in Ghana. This study examines the performance trends of urban, rural, public and private Junior High Schools in the BECE over a 5-year period. The study made use of secondary data which reflected the indicators of pupils’ performance in the BECE. The data obtained were analysed using percentages, frequency counts, and time-series graphs. The findings of this research showed that the proportion of pupils who passed the BECE in rural schools were less than those who passed in the urban schools in Ghana. It was further observed that although the performance trends for both public and private schools were not so different for 2016, 2017, and 2018, more pupils in public than private schools passed the BECE. Based on the findings, the Ministry of Education and all relevant stakeholders in the area of education are encouraged to ensure equitable distribution of resources in terms of infrastructure, teaching and learning resources, adequate and competent teachers to both urban and rural schools to promote the enhancement of pupils’ performance in rural schools.
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

  • Department of Educational Foundations, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

  • Department of Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

  • Department of Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

  • College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

  • Sections