It's Time For BECE, WASSCE

Students writing thier B.E.C.E exams

April is not only an Easter month; it is a period when final year students both at the junior and senior high school levels undertake their respective final examinations.

While the younger ones in the JHS seek to gain admission into senior high schools, their seniors look forward to being admitted into tertiary institutions through similar examinations.

These are stressful moments for the kids, especially those at the JHS level who are writing their first public examinations.

We can only imagine the level of their excitement when we recall our days as candidates writing perhaps the Common Entrance Examination for the first time or the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Parents too are not left out of these stressful moments as they have to alter their normal schedules one way or the other to suit the times.

It is our prayer that parents and teachers will ensure that students do not engage in practices which could undermine the integrity of the examinations.

In previous years, defaulting candidates had their names and pictures published, a development which dented their images even at this early stage of their education.

For their ages, students should not suffer such avoidable tribulations. Some cases of examination malfeasance originate from teachers who introduce vulnerable students to the appalling practice of cheating in examinations.

It is a practice which, when started, is difficult to abort. This is one of the reasons why all stakeholders must make it a point to instill in the kids the virtues of honesty and diligence.

Students must be taught to work hard towards genuine success and not a backdoor approach to examinations.

Last week, an NGO embarked upon a programme to teach candidates about how to avoid dishonesty in examinations. We salute its initiative and wish that the kids would respect what they were taught by learning to be honest citizens.

In a world where dishonesty features in the lives of many people, it is important that we start teaching our children to steer clear of such tendencies.

When children are taught to be honest in examination centres and at home, they would most likely grow up into honest citizens we can count on.

Although some do not consider these little things important, they play critical roles in the development of the country.

Most of the challenges we are facing in the country today originate from our early days in school when we did not have access to proper parenting and useful counseling.

We do hope that this year, we would not be saddened with news about examination candidates engaging in acts of examination malfeasance.

We wish both the JHS and SHS candidates uneventful examinations and success.