391,079 Write BECE

A total of 391,079 candidates are expected to take part in this year's examinations.

The candidates, who are from 11,778 public and private basic schools, are made up of 209,381 males and 181,698 females.

They would write the examination at 1,378 centres.
The number of candidates for this year represents an increase of 14,220 over last year's total of 376,859.

Greater Accra
Dominic Moses Awiah reports that when the Daily Graphic visited some of the examination centres in Accra and Tema, in the company of the Greater Regional Minister, Mr Julius Debrah, candidates were already seated, waiting for examination questions to be brought to them to start.

Examination centres visited were the Osu Presbyterian Centre, Armed Forces Senior High School (SHS), Ledzokuko Southern Cluster of Schools, South La Estate and the Sakumono A and B complex at Tema.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, accompanied by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, Mr Enoch Cobbinah, and the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Ms Benedicta Naana Biney, toured some Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) centres in Accra and the Eastern Region, Emmanuel Bonney writes.

The minister and her entourage visited the Kanda Cluster of Schools Centre, Accra Girls Senior High School Centre, Achimota School Centre, Anumle Cluster of Schools Centre, University of Ghana Basic School Centre and the Demonstration School for the Deaf Centre at Mampong Akwapim in the Eastern Region.

The Kanda Cluster of Schools had 494 candidates; Accra Girls Senior High School, 457 candidates; Anumle Cluster of Schools, 301 candidates; while a total of 32 deaf and blind students are sitting for the examination.

Upper West
Chris Nunoo reports from Wa that a total of 2,408 candidates, made up of 116 females and 1,242 males, from 52 public and private schools are writing in 10 examination centres in the Wa Municipality.

As early as 6:00 am, many candidates had,out of anxiety, reported at the centres waiting for the authorities to arrive.

When the Daily Graphic visited the Wa School for the Deaf examination centre at about 9 :20 am, candidates were busily writing their English Language objective paper.

The head of the centre, Mr Sylvester Bayor, said the centre was hosting four schools made up of 192 candidates, adding that the students had so far conducted themselves well.

At the Wa Senior High School examination centre C, 119 candidates from five schools were also busily writing the paper without any hitch.

Central
From Cape Coast, Shirley Asiedu-Addo reports that at the Adisadel College Centre, 639 pupils wrote the examination with seven absentees.

A supervisor at the centre, Mr Robert Eghan, said there had not been any incident.

At the Holy Child School, 470 candidates including 25 deaf candidates are writing the examination.

At the University Practice Senior High School, 428 candidates were taking part in the examination. One student was absent while 255 students sat for the examination at the Effutu Senior High School. Two were pregnant and one was absent.

At the Mfantsipim School, 540 candidates from 14 schools were writing the examination. There was no absentee. A total of 377 candidates sat for the examination at the Wesley Girls High School.

The Metropolitan Director of Education, Ms Vivian Etrue, said she was happy with the way the candidates had comported themselves during the first paper.

A total of 26,096 pupils are taking part in the examination in the Volta Region, reports Victor Kwawukume.

Apart from the Ziope centre where a number of pupils reported a little late due to distances they had to travel, all the areas had no serious challenges.

At the OLA Senior High 'A' centre, the supervisor, Mr Peter Labada, said they had had no challenges and that no pupil had been absent. There are 291 pupils made up of 141 boys and 150 girls from 10 schools in the Ho Municipality writing the examination.

However, at the Mawuko Girls Senior High School centre, one female pupil of the Anglican JHS was absent. The supervisor, Mr Andrews Tamakloe, attributed her absence to illness and that a similar incident occurred at the centre last year.

The Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who was on an inspection tour with the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, suggested to the education directorate to engage the services of a counsellor for the centre as the candidates could be experiencing examination fright.

Eastern
Nana Konadu Agyeman reports from Koforidua that 2,626 pupils, made up 1,302 boys and 1,324 girls, are writing the exam at eight centres in the New Juaben Municipality.

Of the number, 1,952 candidates are from 58 public schools while 674 are from 31 private basic schools in the area.

The exam is being undertaken at the Ghana Senior High School, Koforidua Secondary Technical SHS, New Juaben SHS, Koforidua Technical Institute, Pope John SHS, Oyoko Methodist SHS and the Oti Boateng SHS.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mrs Helen Ntoso, accompanied by the Eastern Regional Director of Education, Mrs Adriana Kandilige, visited some exam centres in the New Juaben Municipality, Yilo Krobo and the Lower Manya Krobo districts.

She told the candidates that the region recorded 54 per cent passes in the BECE last year and advised them to put in their best for the region to attain 80 per cent passes.

Northern
In the Tamale Metropolis, there were no reported incidents at the time of filing this report as the examinations took off smoothly in all the examination centers visited by the Daily Graphic, reports Vincent Amenuveve.

At the Tamale Senior High School centres "A" and "B" for instance the supervisors, who pleaded anonymity, stated that everything was going on normally without any reported incidents.

However, at the Tamale Senior High School Centre "A", four pupils were absent. They included a girl who was reported to have travelled outside the country for personal reasons.

The Tamale Metropolitan Director of Education, Mr Abdul Rahman Saani, stated that his visit to a significant number of the examination centres in the metropolis indicated that the exercise was smooth.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has called on candidates writing this year's BECE to exhibit a high sense of discipline and desist from all forms of malpractices which could lead to the cancellation of their results.

'We hope students would comport themselves before, during and after the examination by exhibiting a high sense of discipline, thus frowning on all forms of examination malpractices which have the tendency of frustrating your future,' it said.

In a goodwill message to the BECE candidates, the President of NAGRAT, Mr Christian Addai-Poku, congratulated students, teachers and parents and guardians on the preparation and of the candidates for the examination.