The absence of proper supervision in public pre-tertiary schools in the Upper East Region is significantly impacting student performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
This concern was raised by Professor David Millar, Founder and President of Millar Open University, in an interview with Gerard Asagi on A1 Radio. He was reacting to findings from a recent national education report that highlights a worrying trend of declining pass rates in the region.
The Access to Quality of Basic and Secondary Education in Ghana 2000-2023 report, jointly published by the Ghana Statistical Service and the Ghana Education Service, tracks BECE performance from 2002 to 2021 and reveals a steady decline in pass rates across core subjects.
Core English pass rates, which stood at 54.8% in the 2002/03 academic year, peaked at 89.1% in 2004/05 but dropped sharply to 40.1% in 2010/11 and further declined to 48.6% by 2020/21.
Mathematics saw similar fluctuations, starting at 58.3% in 2002/03, rising to 75.0% in 2007/08, but falling to 42.8% in 2008/09 and reaching its lowest point at 37.5% in 2010/11. Between 2015/16 and 2020/21, the average pass rate for Mathematics stood at 53.9%.
Science performance also followed a downward trend, with a pass rate of 58.2% in 2002/03, peaking at 75.7% in 2007/08, but declining to 50.7% by 2020/21. Social Studies mirrored this pattern, falling from 59.2% in 2002/03 to 42.9% in 2020/21.
While regions like Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Bono consistently record higher pass rates, the Upper East, along with the Northern, North East, and Savannah regions, continues to lag behind. The report attributes these disparities to challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, poverty, and gender inequality. It emphasizes the need for targeted, data-driven policies to improve educational outcomes and align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.
Professor Millar identified weak supervision in public schools as a major factor behind the region’s poor academic performance. Comparing public and private schools, he acknowledged that public school teachers are generally more qualified but argued that private schools produce better results because “teachers are supervised to teach.”
“In private schools, there is strict oversight. Teachers are monitored to ensure they teach. That is why, on average, their students perform better. But in public schools, where student numbers are large and supervision is weak, outcomes suffer,” he stated.
He further lamented that some public school teachers neglect their responsibilities, often spending teaching hours on social media instead of focusing on their students.
Professor Millar stressed that the government must prioritize funding for the supervision of teaching and learning at the pre-tertiary level, insisting that stronger oversight is essential to improving educational outcomes in the region.
Source: A1Radioonline.Com | 101.1MHz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
