Prof. Kwesi Yankah Visits BECE Centers In Agona East

Minister of State In-charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah on Monday visited all the Seven (7) Examination Centers where 2,085 candidates made up of 1,036 male and 1,049 female are writing the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination in the Agona East District of the Central Region

Professor Kwesi Yankah who is also the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Agona East Constituency for the upcoming December General Elections encouraged the candidates to aspire to attain higher heights on the educational ladder

Accompanied by DCE for Agona East, Hon. Dennis Armah Frimpong and Officials from the Ministry of Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah first visited Presbyterian Senior High School center at Agona Nsaba.

Other centers visited include Swedru Senior High School, Agona Asafo AEDA Basic School, Kwanyarko, Senior High School, Namanwura Community Day Senior High school, and Mankrong Junction AEDA Basic School.

The NPP Parliamentary Candidate accordingly urged the candidates to take advantage of the Free SHS policy to better their lots.

"You should aspire to attain heights on the educational ladder. Each of you can achieve it. His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo led NPP Government has created the avenue for you through the Free SHS policy

I expect nothing less than 100% passes from you. Make your parents proud. Strive to achieve your goals. We are not in normal times but once you have goals, achieve it.

Writing exams while wearing face mask is very difficult but covid-19 has become global pandemic. We have no option but to protect ourselves from infections

Later in an interview with newsmen, Professor Kwesi Yankah acknowledged that BECE results in Agona East District has not been the best if not the worst in the Central Region.

According to Professor Kwesi Yankah, it was time those in the academia pay attention to standard of education in the District at least at the basic level

" Am happy that we are recording better results at the BECE lately.

Since the inception of the NPP Government in 2017, Agona East District is recording significant improvement in BECE results. From 20% 2017 to 44% in 2018 and a little over 65% in 2019

This is due to prudent measures put in place by Ministry of Education through Ghana Education Service with able support from Nananom and stakeholders

I will like to appeal to all and sundry to rally behind the government as it seeks to remove every bottlenecks association with education as far as fee-paying in our educational institutions is concern.

Government is expanding infrastructure at the various Senior High Schools to absorb huge number of Basic School graduates due to Free SHS policy.

It is therefore behooves on us to do everything possible to uplift the standard of education"

Professor Kwesi Yankah further disclosed that government through school infrastructure expansion project, a 300-bed Girl's Dormitory for Kwayarko Senior High school was ongoing and would be completed by the end of October,2020.

" This dormitory is to accommodate Girls who are staying at rented houses rather than being in boarding house on school compound

They are becoming vulnerable to boys who takes advantage of their hard situations to disturb their studies.

Apart from the dormitory, construction of Administration block is ongoing and will soon be completed to facilitate administrative work while Headmaster/ Headmistress bungalow is also progressing speedily

Similar projects are ongoing in the others schools in the District"

Professor Kwesi Yankah was hopeful that even under Covid-19 pandemic, the candidates would come out with flying colours.

Agona East District Chief Executive, Hon. Dennis Armah Frimpong cautioned the candidates against examination malpractices.