The dream of the 106 final-year students of taking part in this years’ BECE finally hit the rocks yesterday.
This was when officials of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) categorically told the Ghana Education Service (GES) that it was “practically impossible for the students to take part in this year’s BECE because, apart from the fact that the students were not registered, the school itself was not recognised”.
The Ashanti Regional Director of Education Mr J. K. Onyinah, told the Daily Graphic when contacted on the fate of the 106 students, that they were told by WAEC that since they did not have the names of the affected students on their computer, it was practically impossible for them to take part in the examinations.
He said in a meeting with WAEC officials, they indicated that they did not have the requisite logistics to allow the affected students to participate in the examination.
He said since the examination had already started, with English and Religious and Moral Education, nothing could be done to allow the affected students to participate in the rest of the examination “because even if they do, their certificate would not be recognised”.
He pointed out that the GES could have intervened if they had been alerted earlier, “but now it is too late to do anything about the situation”.
Mr Onyinah, who expressed concern about the current state of affairs, gave the assurance that his outfit would look for schools that would admit the students to enable them to take part in next year’s examination.
He, therefore, appealed to the students to accept to write the examination next year.
Mr Onyinah further told the Daily Graphic that Christ the King International “had folded up since last year because they do not have students for both JHS 1 and 2, as well as those from the primary level that feeds the school”.
Mr Onyinah said he was, therefore, surprised that the school authorities succeeded in convincing some final-year students and their parents that it was capable of registering final-year JHS students to participate in the BECE.
Commenting on the issue during a tour of some examination centres in Accra, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, advised parents and guardians to conduct background checks on schools, especially private ones, before sending their children and wards to such schools.
That, he said, was to ensure that the parents and guardians had some knowledge about the status of the schools in order that they did not send their children and wards to schools with questionable backgrounds, which could jeopardise their future.
The minister gave the advice yesterday when he toured some Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) centres in the Ga East Municipality in the Greater Accra Region.
The five-day examination, which will end on Friday, is being undertaken by final-year junior high school (JHS) students in the country.
About 395,582 candidates from 9,502 JHSs, made up of 214,542 males and 181, 1040 females are expected to write the examination.
Mr Tettey-Enyo gave the advice in reference to a case in Kumasi, where 106 final-year BECE candidates of the Christ the King International School in Kumasi were not registered for this year’s BECE examination.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said the GES had been asked to investigate the background of the Christ the King International School, and that if it was confirmed that it was not registered, it would be closed down.
The minister said private schools that did not regularise their operations with the GES would be closed down.
He said it was an offence, for instance, for a private school not to operate with a licence and within the guidelines of the service, adding that the service would step up its monitoring activities to flush out such schools.
Mr Tettey-Enyo also visited the Ghannata Senior High School centre where 18 schools were writing their examinations and asked them not to harbour any fears in the examination hall.
From Bolgatanga, Alhandu Abdul-Hamid reports that the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, visited some of the centres and advised the candidates to eschew all forms of examination malpractices.
Mr Woyongo told the students that their academic career depended on the examination and assured them that if they performed well, they would have the opportunity to continue with their education.
The minister was accompanied by the Upper East Regional Director of Education, Mr Fabien Balieb; the Regional Examination Officer, Mr James Adoganga; the Bongo District Director of Education, Mr Agyaare Francis; and the Upper East Regional Deputy Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Richard Baduwei.
The examination commenced smoothly in the region with 15,765 candidates.
The minister visited the Bolgatanga Senior High School where 1,535 candidates of the Talensi-Nabdam District were taking their exams and the Bolgatanga Girls Junior High School where 947 students were sitting in two centres.
From Tamale, Vincent Amenuveve reports that lack of transport affected the early start of the BECE at some centres in the Tamale Metropolis.
During a visit to some of the examination centres, the Daily Graphic gathered that BECE candidates at the Northern School of Business and the Tamale Senior High School Centre A, started their English Paper 1 at about 10:00a.m. and 9:30 a.m. respectively, instead of the scheduled 9:00 a.m.
A total of 6,498 candidates made up of 3,690 boys and 2,808 girls are taking part in the examinations at the 18 centres in the metropolis.
The Tamale Metropolitan Director of Education, Mr Edward N. Gayuoni, observed that the issue needed to be critically looked at in order to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination.
According to him, his outfit for instance succeeded in getting only one vehicle from the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly for the examination while one of his subordinates had to use her own vehicle for the exercise.
From Tema, Rose Hayford Darko reports that the BECE started smoothly without any incidents in the Tema Metropolis and Ashaiman Municipality.
All relevant materials had arrived as expected and some centres the Graphic visited indicated that at exactly 9 a.m. the students were ready to start the first paper, which was English Paper 1.
The atmosphere was orderly with the invigilators and supervisors well positioned to observe the students as they started work.
The Tema Metropolitan and Ashaiman Municipal Directorates of the Ghana Education Service presented a total of 13,121 final-year students from 274 public and private junior high schools for the 2009 BECE.
Chris Nunoo reports from Wa that a total of 9,270 candidates are taking part in this year’s BECE in the Upper West Region.
In all 2,311 are writing in the Wa Municipality, 1,487 in the Nadowli District and 1,472 in the Lawra District.
The Jirapa District has 1,216 candidates while the Sissala East and West districts have 834 and 682 candidates respectively.
Four hundred and twenty-four candidates are writing in the Wa East District with the Wa West District having 889 candidates.
The Upper West Branch Controller of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Mr Alfred Kofi Quarm, said the BECE commenced smoothly in the region.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mahmud Khalid, together with the Regional Director of Education, Mr Cletus Paga, toured some of the examination centres in the Wa Municipality.
From Suhum, A. Kofoya Tetteh reports that three pregnant candidates were among the number of students writing the examinations at the various centres in the area.
The Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District Director of Education, Madam Asiedu Okanta, who could not disclose the number of candidates writing the examinations, however gave the assurance that all pregnant candidates who had reported would be allowed to write the papers.
Nana Konadu Agyeman reports from Koforidua that the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, accompanied by the Eastern Regional Director of Education, Mrs Rene Boakye-Boateng, went round the various examination centres in the New Juaben Municipality.
At the Pope John Senior High School centre, 557 candidates reported to write the paper, while three could not make it. At the Ghana Senior High and Technical School, 1,151 candidates were present to take the paper.
Kwamena Apponsah reports from Agona Swedru that four of the candidates who were to write their papers were pregnant.
In all 4,032 candidates are sitting for the exam in the Agona West Municipality and Agona East District Assembly.
The Agona West Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Eric Oppong Bediako and the Municipal Director of Education, Mrs Jean Chinuaboah, spent almost three hours visiting the centres.
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