Gov't Called Upon To Help Absorb BECE Registration Fees Of Private Schools

The Proprietor of Christ Model Academy at Ahenema Kokoben in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region, Mr. Daniel Adu Benhene has appealed to the government to absorb the registration fees of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates in the Private schools as accorded their colleagues from the public ones.

He said that will release burden from parents who cannot afford the BECE registration fees for their candidates in the private schools.

Mr. Adu Benhene in an interview with thepressradio.com, said “Children in private schools are there not only by choice but due to insufficient facilities in public schools and that if the government is taking the cost of BECE registration fees for the candidates in the public schools then it should cover those in the private schools as well since we are all Ghanaians and pay taxes”.

“Some parents struggle to pay for their children registration fees in the private schools so we are appealing to the government to absorb the registration fees for us like our colleagues in the public ones” he added.

“We are also appealing to the government to provide equal privileges for students from the private schools like the public once by providing us free textbooks, learning and teaching materials to ensure sustainability of the private institutions” he noted.

The BECE is required for both the certification and selection into Senior High Schools and Technical Institutions.

The Government of Ghana under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwwa Akufo-Addo absorbed the registration fees of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates for the year 2018 candidates from the various public schools spread across the country.

The registration fees were GHC75.00 per candidate in both private and government schools.

The Proprietor further alleged and lamented that children in public schools were posted to senior high schools (SHSs) before those in the private schools although some of the private school children performed better.

He, therefore, commended the government for the introduction of the free SHS policy.

According to him, children whose parents could not afford the Senior High School have access to the second cycle education due to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagship programme free SHS.