King Paluta’s Aseda song item in BECE ‘culturally biased’ – Lecturer

A University of Ghana (UG) senior lecturer, Dr Paul Kwame Butakor, has criticised the inclusion of King Paluta’s Twi-language hit song, Aseda, featured in this academic year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE)

Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show with host Kwaku Nhyira Addo, the senior lecturer at the Legon-based university described the song’s inclusion in BECE as “culturally biased” and unfair to non-Akan-speaking candidates.

Dr Butakor, an expert in assessment, measurement and evaluation, warned that such choices could penalise the final-year Junior High School (JHS) students purely because of language barriers.

“If you look at this song, most of the words are in Twi, are we saying that everybody in Ghana understands Twi?” the University of Ghana (UG) senior lecturer asked.

“We are asking a BECE student to listen to this song, even though it wasn’t played in the exam room. In any case, what exactly is the important issue in Ghanaian society that this question serves?” Butakor further argued.

Dr Paul Kwame added, “This item is culturally biased towards some people. If you don’t understand the Twi, you can’t answer this question. So, if a student gets this item wrong, the interpretation is that this child has failed Creative Arts; but in reality, the child is failing because of a language barrier.”

“If you look at this song, most of the words are in Twi. Are we saying everyone understands it? Even this song wasn’t played in the exam room. What is the key social importance of this item? This is cultural bias. If you don’t understand the language, you can’t answer, and the child is marked down for that”, the University of Ghana lecturer.

Dr Butakor’s concerns come after WAEC in Question 4(c) of this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) Music and Creative Arts paper, asked candidates to identify two major social issues addressed in the song Aseda.

“King Paluta, whose real name is Thomas Adjei Wireko, is a Ghanaian musician known for combining traditional rhythms, storytelling and modern hip-hop beats in his music. One of his most popular songs, Aseda, carries deep messages that address important issues in the Ghanaian society. Identify two of these issues?” the question read.

However, Mr John Kapi, the head of Public Affairs for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has explained that all the materials upon which the BECE questions were set had been provided to the various schools for preparation ahead of time.

“Is this song available in a textbook, and were all the students exposed to the content of this song before they were able to respond? I have had some interactions with teachers, and most of them have expressed frustration with the alignment between the curriculum and the questions being set.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) cannot continuously set questions outside the curriculum and expect students to perform well. I don’t think it is fair for them to do that,” the not-for-profit-organization spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Ghanaian musician, King Paluta, has praised the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) after his hit song “Aseda” was featured in the just-ended Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

“I don’t know if it’s really true, but I heard there was a question in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) exams today about me. I’m popping the champagne already,” the Makoma and More Money hitmaker stated.