Bekwai MP Ralph Poku-Adusei revives education in constituency
The Bekwai Constituency has recorded a significant improvement in its Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results, with the best aggregate among candidates from public schools improving from 18 in the 2024/2025 academic year to 6 in 2025/2026.
Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Lawyer Ralph Poku-Adusei, attributed the development to targeted interventions introduced after concerns over declining academic performance in the municipality.
According to the MP, the situation had become particularly worrying in the 2024/2025 academic year when Aggregate 18 was the best result achieved by a candidate from a public school.
Rather than limiting the response to concerns about the poor results, Mr Poku-Adusei initiated a stakeholders’ engagement in early 2025 involving the Bekwai Municipal Education Directorate, parents, teachers, circuit supervisors, civil society organisations and students.
The engagement provided an opportunity for stakeholders to identify factors affecting academic performance and consider measures to improve learning outcomes.
One of the outcomes was the revival of the School Performance Appraisal Meeting (SPAM), which the MP funded across all 10 educational circuits.
The exercise identified several challenges, including limited parental involvement, teacher motivation and supervision gaps, student indiscipline, low self-esteem, inadequate teaching and learning materials and insufficient academic competition.
The MP said the findings showed that improving education required more than the provision of physical infrastructure.
“We needed motivation. We needed accountability,” he stated.
A key initiative that emerged from the process was the School Starter-Pack Scholarship (SSPS), which was introduced to recognise academic excellence and provide support to students beginning their Senior High School education.
The selection process is administered by the Bekwai Municipal Education Directorate, with the best graduating candidate from every public and private school in each community selected based on BECE aggregate. Raw scores are used to determine winners where candidates record the same aggregate.
For the 2026 beneficiaries, the starter package consists of a Mackintosh mattress, pillow, plastic provibox and suitcase to assist students preparing to enter boarding Senior High School.
The programme also recognises outstanding academic performers.
Owusu Adwoa Serwaa of Dominase M/A JHS, who recorded Aggregate 7, was named the overall best public-school female student, while Yamoah Bordom Benjamin of Bekwai APS JHS emerged as the overall best public-school male student with Aggregate 8.
In the private-school category, Appiah Kubi Annabella and Frimpong Owusu Emmanuel of Amazing Grace JHS both recorded Aggregate 6.
Kingsley Owusu of Dominase M/A JHS was also recognised as the Best Person with Disability.
The overall best performers received laptops in addition to their starter packages, while the PWD beneficiary was awarded a GH¢2,000-per-term scholarship throughout Senior High School.
Mr Poku-Adusei said the latest BECE results provided the clearest indication yet that the interventions were producing results.
The improvement was reflected in several schools, including Senfi Methodist JHS, which recorded Aggregate 8; Poano, Aggregate 9; Abodom Methodist JHS, Aggregate 8; Perfect, Aggregate 7; and Amazing Grace JHS, Aggregate 6. Ofoase-Kokobin M/A also recorded Aggregate 10.
The MP said the change should not be viewed solely through examination figures, but also in terms of the confidence being developed among students and the renewed commitment of teachers, parents and schools.
As part of the next phase of the initiative, Mr Poku-Adusei has announced plans for a Best Teacher Awards Scheme (BTAS) to recognise teachers who demonstrate exceptional commitment to improving academic outcomes. The framework is currently being finalised.
He has also established a dedicated SSPS Board to oversee the programme, strengthen its selection criteria and package, and promote transparency and sustainability.
Mr Poku-Adusei said his long-term objective was to ensure that the SSPS developed into an institution capable of continuing beyond his tenure as Member of Parliament.
As the programme enters its third year, he intends to attract individual and corporate sponsors to support more students and eventually expand recognition to students who achieve single-digit BECE aggregates between 6 and 10.
The initiative is also expected to track beneficiaries through Senior High School and support their progression into tertiary education, with the broader objective of seeing more professionals emerge from the Bekwai area over the next five to 10 years.
For Mr Poku-Adusei, the movement from Aggregate 18 to Aggregate 6 represents a starting point rather than an endpoint.
He described the development as “the beginning of a new chapter” in efforts to promote education, recognise excellence and encourage children in the constituency to pursue their ambitions regardless of their background.
