Ghana: BECE starts, Nationwide Report
Greater Accra Region: This year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) on Monday commenced late at the Accra Academy Centre due to lateness of invigilators.
BECE student writing in Ghana in Central Region
Madam Dora Dankwa Darko, Supervisor at the Accra Academy Center ‘A’ in an interview with Ghana News Agency in Accra, said some of the invigilators arrived late while others were yet to come, at the time the GNA arrived.
The Accra Academy Centre comprises of two centres with 18 schools with a total of 613 Candidates.
Some of the schools participating include Saint Anthony ‘A’ and ‘B’ Junior High School (JHS), Bright Future Academy, Universal Academy, New Abossy Okai 1 and 3 JHS, Pentecost Preparatory and Cambridge Preparatory and JHS.
Ghana News Agency visited the Centre, there was no police personnel at post.Master Obed Garbrah, 15, from the Cambridge JHS, who spoke to the, expressed the hope that with all that they had learnt, success was assured.
Ms Jennifer Mensah Woode, 14, also from Cambridge JHS, said with the advice given them by their teachers, they were confident of getting their target grades.
Mr Alex Otabil, teacher in charge of Cambridge JHS, said his students were adequately prepared based on the assessment conducted by the school. He appealed to stakeholders and government to come to the aid of schools without science laboratories, saying students only knew the theory of the science subjects.
At the Accra High Compound “A” Centre, the examination began at about 09:25 due to the late arrival of question papers from the West African Examinations Council.
Mr George Agbley, Supervisor in Charge of Examinations at the Accra High Compound “A”, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency noted that even though examination materials arrived a week ago, the question papers got to the centre at about 0855 hours.Mr Agbley said seven schools had registered at the centre and there was 100 per cent turnout. In all 217 candidates are sitting the examination.
The schools include Aggrey Memorial, Kanda International School, Calvary Methodist, Star Avenue, Kanda 3 JHS, Kanda 1 JHS, and Noree School”, he added. At the Accra High Centre “B” Examination Centre, Madam Dorothy Obianim, Supervisor in Charge, said the examination started at 09:30 due to the late arrival of question papers.
Madam Obianim said eight schools had registered at the centre, with a total of 206 candidates.
The schools registered at the centre are Al Waheed, Al Waheed, Bethany School, Ring Road Est., Kanda AMA, New Nation, St Cecilia, Mt Zion, and John Havard.
Pregnancy Cases: Five pregnancy cases and four absentees were recorded on Monday during the start of the Basic Education Certificate Examination at five centres in the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis.
The Fijai Senior High School accommodating 478 candidates recorded two advanced cases of pregnancies. These would-be students’ mothers were busily seen writing their papers when the Ghana News Agency got to the centre at about 1010 hours in the company of the Metropolitan Director of Education, Nana Adjei Imbeah.
The Ghana Secondary Technical School centre, housing about 920 candidates – 422 boys and 446 girls, also had two pregnant students with three absentees.
UPPER WEST REGION: Alhaji Issahaku Salia, Upper West Regional Minister, has on Monday visited some exam centres in the Wa Municipality to ensure that everything required to enhance the smooth takeoff of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) were in place.
At the time Alhaji Salia arrived at the Wa Senior High School, all the four centres there had already started with the English language Paper One.
Mr Bapuah John, the Supervisor for Wa SHS exam center ‘C’, said there were a total of 178 candidates made up of 112 boys and 66 girls with all of them present.
Alhaji Salia after going round to see how the students were taking the exams took time to address some of the teachers that brought their students to write the exams. He commended them for the seriousness they attached to the welfare of their students and said their presence would help to boost their moral for them to perform well.
He assured them that the Government was doing its best to improve on their condition of services to make life more comfortable for them to give-off their best to improve on educational standards.
Abdul Hamid Seese, one of the teachers, thanked the Minister for his concern and said his visit was a demonstration of the passion that he had for education and a motivation for the teachers.
At the Wa School for the Deaf, Mr Adams Bayuo, the Supervisor at the centre, mentioned Dan-Ibu International School, Wa Numa International School, Wa Municipal Model School and pupils from the host school, were writing the examination at that center.
He said three of the candidates were absent, but could not give reasons for their inability to write the examination. He reiterated government’s commitment to resource the Ghana Education Service to carry out its mandate to improve on standards of education in country.
Over 27,884 candidates sit for BECE in the Northern region: A total of 27,884 candidates made up of 17,068 males and 10,816 females in the Northern Region are sitting for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in 69 examination centres.
A total of 106 officials made up of 56 supervisors, 50 assistants and 583 invigilators are conducting and monitoring the examinations.
Madam Elizabeth De-Souza, Regional Director of Education made this known when he and Mr Sam Nasamu Asabigi, Deputy Northern Regional Minister went round some of the examination centre’s in the Tamale Metropolis on Monday to inspect the progress of the exercise.
At the centre’s the Minister and the Director visited, the supervisors said they had received all the examination materials and that the exercise was going on smoothly.
At the Ghana High Senior Secondary examination centres “C B” and C A” five candidates were absent but the examination officials could not give reasons for their non appearance and the Kalpohin Senior High School examination centre one student who was brought from the hospital to write the English paper had to be rushed back to the hospital because he was vomiting.
Addressing some female candidates at the Ghana Senior High School, Mr Asabigi impressed upon them on the need to take the examination seriously so that they would not only pass to enter the senior high schools but progress to higher institutions. He told them not to fear mathematics and science subjects since they were the pivots on which modern technology was built on and without which no nation could progress.
Most of the candidates that spoke to express optimism that they would perform well saying that the exams were not as difficult as they expected.
Master Adam Saddique said despite the teachers strike over the Single Spine Salary Structure, he had adequately prepare for the exams as his teachers had made ample time to teach he and his colleagues to cover the syllabus.
WESTERN REGION: At the Takoradi Technical Institute with 479 candidates comprising 236 boys and 243 girls, one pregnancy case was recorded who did not turn-up for exams.
In all the centres visited with the exception of Takoradi Secondary School centre “B”, the female candidates out-numbered the male candidates.
Nana Imbeah, the Metro Director of Education, said but for the delay in the initial start of the English Language Paper One due to a change in location, the process had been very smooth and prayed for a successful completion of this year’s Examination. Nana Imbeah said 7,122 candidates comprising 5,477 public and 1,645 private schools were writing the exams in the Metropolis.
Out of the figure, 2,666 boys came from public school with 786 from private schools whiles 2,811 girls were from public and 859 girls private.
This year’s BECE, he noted was now six days instead of five with the introduction of Information and Communication Technology.
TEMA METROPOLITAN AREA: Mrs Stella Adjei, Regional Basic Schools Director, noted that this year’s BECE had witnessed a calm atmosphere. A total of 8449 Junior High School (JHS) students were registered by the Tema Metropolitan Education Directorate to sit for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) which began on Monday. The candidates started the examination English Paper One at the 30 designated Centres.
Mr Kwesi Hutchful, Tema Metropolitan Education Director, told journalists during his rounds that 57 supervisors and 296 invigilators were manning the centres, to ensure a successful exercise. Mr Hutchful advised the candidates not to engage in examination malpractices, but rather revise their notes in order to pass well.
Mr Geoffrey Demakpor, Supervisor in charge of the Oninku Number One and Oninku Two JHS Centre, stated that all the 355 registered candidates, with the exception of one girl, were present to write the paper. He indicated that a total of 12 invigilators supervised the 355 candidates from six schools who sat for the examination at that centre.
The six schools were Twedaase JHS, Lorenz Wolf JHS, Dorson Complex School, Robert Memorial JHS, Marbs JHS and Tema Pentecost Basic School. At the Our Lady of Mercy Senior High School Centre, a total of 217 candidates from Akodzo JHS, Republic Road One JHS, Tema Christian Centre, Greater Grace Academy and Greenwich Meridian Presbyterian JHS, sat for the examination.
Mrs Dorothy Opare-Baidu, Assistant Supervisor, said only one girl was absent at the examination centre. She commended the candidates for comporting themselves, and advised them not to panic, but rather be bold and read carefully over the questions before answering them.
A total of 237 candidates from Oninku One and Oninku Two JHS and St Albans Anglican School were registered to sit for the examination at the Twedaase JHS Centre.
Mr Frank Anyidoho, Supervisor in charge of the centre said one girl who was pregnant was absent, while one nursing mother sat for the paper.
CENTRAL REGION /WINNEBA &CAPECOAST: A total of 38,610 candidates including four blind and 33 deaf students are writing this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Central Region, with 2,803 of the number coming from the Cape Coast Metropolis.
The Member of Parliament for Cape Coast, Mr. Ebo Barton-Odro, in the company of the Chief Executive of the Cape Coast Metropolis, Mr. Anthony Egyir Aikins, and the Metropolitan Director of Education, Madam Vivian Etroo, visited some of the centres on Monday, to motivate the students to exhibit high sense of discipline during the exams. A total of eight students were absent at the four centres and when asked about their whereabouts by the Ghana News Agency, the supervisors indicated that some were sick while others had travelled out of the country.
At the Holy Child School centre, a total of 485 students from 14 schools were seen busily writing the English paper with four students absent, while the Mfantsipim School centre also a total of 440 students from 14 schools with no absentees.
The centre at Adisadel College had a total of 517 students from 16 schools with four absentees, while all the 407 students from nine schools at the St. Augustine’s College centre were present. Miss. Esther Edjeani, from the Ghana Education Service in Accra, who was in the Region to supervise the examination at the various centres, said her visit was to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination and asked the students to conduct themselves well. Mr. Barton-Odro and Mr. Aikins took turns to address the candidates advising them to abstain from examination malpractices because they could be prosecuted when caught.
They advised the students to be disciplined and believe in themselves that they could come out with the best results and asked them not to disappoint their teachers and parents. Madam Etroo reiterated calls for the students to abide by the rules and regulations of the examination and pass their papers well so as to gain admissions to the best secondary schools in the country.
This year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) took off smoothly in the Accra Metropolis. According to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), 372,826 candidates have been registered for the examination. The Chief Supervisor in charge of Holy Trinity Centre 91A’, Mr Boaz Hayford, the first paper, English Paper 1, arrived in time. All the candidates comported themselves well during the examination and no student was seen with unfamiliar material.
Mr Hayford said measures had been put in place to prevent leakage of question papers adding that only the paper that was being written was brought.
The Holy Trinity Centre 91A’ Centre has 241 candidates from four schools – Bishop Mixed, Odartey Memorial 1, God’s Wisdom and Hope Academy.
The Headmistress of Bishop Mixed Junior High School, Mrs Agnes Oppong, confirmed that there has been no incident and that all the 122 candidates registered by the school were present. She said a series of mock examinations to assess students before BECE were enough to adequately prepare them.
Mrs Oppong added that Guidance and Counselling sessions were given to candidates to remove the fear and panic they may harbour. She urged the candidates to be confident and not to depend on anybody for answers.”The examination is just like your class test and you should not be afraid,” Mrs. Oppong said.
Some candidate who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were prepared for the examinations and expressed the hope that they would come out successfully with their target aggregate.
The Member of Parliament for Effutu Constituency, Mr Mike Hammah, has urged candidates taking the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Winneba, to desist from examination malpractices since that could lead to the cancellation of their papers. He made the call when he in the company of Mr Kofi Kussachin, Effutu Municipal Coordinating Director, Mrs Elizabeth Amoako Ennimel, Municipal Director of Education and her deputy Mrs Shelly Coleman, visited the two centres in Winneba on Monday.
A total of 899 children from 24 public and private schools registered for the examination but two died before the examination day on Monday April 11th while one failed to turn-up for the paper. Mr Samuel Essandoh, supervisor at the Centre 91A’ at the Winneba Senior High School briefing the visitors said a total of 482 are taking the examination at the centre. At Centre 91B’, the Supervisor, Mrs Coleman told newsmen that 414 candidates were registered. According to her, the examination started peacefully without any problems.
Mr Hammah, who is also the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, therefore urged the students to be focused to enable them to pass the examination. He hoped that this year’s results would be better than the previous years following intensive classes organised for the children.
ASHANTI REGION: KUMASI
This year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) started smoothly in the Kumasi Metropolis on Monday morning with no reports of any problems from the centres. The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, accompanied by the Regional Education Director, Mr Joseph Kingsley Onyinah, toured some of the examination centres including the Asem Cluster of Schools, Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI) and Serwaa Nyarko Senior High School to see for themselves the on-going activities.
In all, 76,492 candidates are sitting for the BECE in the region, representing 20 per cent of the national total and are made up 41,073 males and 35,419 are females.
Dr Agyemang-Mensah expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination so far and said he was confident that all would comport themselves and accept to play by the rules. He advised the candidates to resist any temptation to cheat and wished them the best of luck. But was happy that all registered candidates at the centres visited were present and writing the papers. Mr Onyinah said he did not anticipate any problems.
The BECE would end on April 18 with French and Ghanaian Language.
Compile by: Own Correspondent with Support from Ghana New Agency
