Basic education exams begins countrywide
THOUSANDS OF Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) candidates, who are hoping to further their education to the Senior High Schools all over the country, started the annual week-long exams yesterday.
The Chronicle went round some four examinations centres in parts of the Accra metropolis, and gathered that a total of 1,335 eligible Junior High School (JHS) candidates had registered for this year's BECE at the four centres The Chronicle visited, out of which 10 were absent.
About 372,826 Junior High School pupils would be writing the exams nationwide. The exercise is expected to end next week Monday, 18, 2011, in 1,298 centres across the country.
At the Police Depot examinations centre in Accra, the Exams Supervisor, Frank Appeakorang, indicated that out of the total number of 448 qualified candidates, one male student was absent for reasons unknown to him.
Although, he mentioned that the total number was from two schools – Police Depot '1' and '2' – Mr. Appeakorang was unable to tell how many boys and girls were involved in the one week exercise.
A further trip to the Kotobabi '1' Junior High School Compound 'A' revealed that six different JHS were joined together to make up the 290 candidates of that centre and five out of that number were absent.
However, this centre, according to Maxwell Agudetse, the Supervising officer, recorded a total of 138 boys with one absentee while it was evidenced that the female candidates were 151 with four absentees.
The six schools, were made up of the Kotobabi '1' JHS Compound 'A', the Abavanna JHS, represented by 62 candidates; the Kotobabi '4' JHS, 79; Kotobabi '15' JHS, 80; Ennwood Preparatory/JHS, 27 and the Super Stars Preparatory/JHS, also being represented by 42 candidates.
At the Kotobabi '5' and '6' centre, 309 candidates of six schools sitting for the exams; George Adu-Ntow, Supervisor at this centre, told this reporter that the Faith Academy presented 43 registered candidates; Emelia Academy, 16, and the Bernard's Preparatory/JHS, 14, while the Kotobabi '5' JHS presented 76 candidates; Kotobabi '7' JHS, 65 candidates, with the Kotobabi '11' JHS also presenting 95 BECE candidates.
Finally, the team went to the Nima Cluster of Schools centre, where 288 JHS students from seven schools had finished with their second paper for the day, which was Social Studies Paper One, at about 3:20 p.m.
These schools, according to the Examinations Supervisor, Mrs. Agnes Adenyo, included the Nima '1 and 2' JHS with 49 and 52 candidates respectively.
Giving out more figures, she said the St. Kizito Basic JHS presented 57 pupils, and Kokomlemle 1 & 2, 59 and 40 candidates respectively.
Additionally, the Ghana National Academy and the Senior Correctional Centre of the Borstal Institute presented 11 and 20 candidates in that order.
The BECE candidates wrote the English paper and part one of the Social Studies yesterday, and would continue with the Social Studies paper two and Integrated Science today.
On Wednesday, they would continue with Mathematics and Basic Design and Technology paper one, while they continue with the paper two, and Religious and Moral Education on Thursday. Friday follows with Ghanaian language and French, with the final lap on Monday, when they would test their pulse in French and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).