Education in Ghana - Junior High School

Junior High School

Junior Secondary School starts right after Primary 6, it has a different name as compared to other countries, and some countries call this stage either junior high school or middle school. In America this stage starts in Grade 6 but in Ghana it starts when you are in Grade 7. The table below will help in understanding how this works;

Countries like Britain have the GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education). Ghana has B.E.C.E that means "Basic Education Certificate Examination" and this exam has to be taken before a student is accepted into senior high school. Formerly, it used to cover 10 subjects ranging from:

• Mathematics
• English
• Social studies
• General science
• Agricultural science
• Pre-technical education
• Pre-vocational education
• Religious and moral education
• French

But as of 2010, most of these subjects have been integrated and changed whiles others have been dropped and new ones added. The examinable subjects are now:

• Mathematics
• English
• Social Studies
• Integrated Science
• Basic Designing and Technology (candidates can choose between Pre-technical Skills, Home Economics and Visual Arts)
• Information Communication and Technology
• Religious and Moral Education
• French

× Ghanaian Language and Culture

Most junior secondary schools are privately owned and they are the best way to earn a BECE certificate. Junior secondary schools run by the government lack many educational facilities that enable students to understand what they are being taught in the classroom and as a result of this most public schools do not write French and I.C.T in the examination.