Addressing the nation via Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, June 11, the Minister emphasised the importance of integrity and discipline, urging students not to involve themselves in any dishonest practices.

“On behalf of the government of Ghana, I want to extend warm wishes and heartfelt encouragement to all the candidates as they enter the halls. I urge them to remain calm, focused, and determined—and avoid any form of examination malpractice,” he said.

Mr Iddrisu, who is currently touring various examination centres across the country, reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring the fair and smooth conduct of the exams, along with the provision of adequate infrastructure to curb future disturbances.

The BECE began today and is expected to end on Tuesday, June 17.

This year, a total of 603,328 candidates—comprising 297,250 males and 306,078 females—are participating in the exams.

The Ashanti Region has the highest number of candidates, with 119,354, followed by Greater Accra with 111,700. The Central Region is third, with 67,146 candidates.

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Speaking at a meeting with the principals of various colleges of education in Accra, the Minister explained that the policy was unsustainable and did not align with global best practices in higher education.

He emphasized that it is not the government’s responsibility to provide meals for tertiary students, arguing that continuing the policy at this level of education is financially unfeasible.

As an alternative, the government plans to replace the feeding programme with an enhanced student loan scheme, enabling trainees to cater for their own living expenses, including meals.

“There is no justification for feeding students at the tertiary level. We must transition from the allowance system to an enhanced student loan scheme to allow them to support themselves,” he stated.

However, he assured that in the interim, trainees will still receive their allowances until the transition process is fully implemented.

This shift, according to the Minister, is aimed at ensuring the sustainability of government spending in the education sector while promoting greater financial independence among teacher trainees.

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