2016 BECE begins smoothly in all centres
The 2016 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) began yesterday with heavy security presence and strict invigilation at some examination centres in Accra.
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Some of the students who wrote the first two examination papers, English and Religious and Moral Education (RME), said although they expected tough measures to be put in place following examinations leaks in the past, what they observed the first day of the exams was beyond what they anticipated.
When the Daily Graphic visited some of the examination centres around 10a.m., students were already writing their first examination paper.
At each of the centres visited in Accra, security personnel were spotted sitting at the entrance of the examination hall, while some of them were standing at vantage positions.
Invigilators were also strict to the extent that nobody, including the media, was allowed to get close to the examination centres.
Some of the centres visited were the Accra High School, the Labone Senior High School (SHS), Osu Home and the St John’s Grammer SHS.
Background
A total of 461,013 candidates from 14,267 public and private junior high schools are expected to sit for this year’s BECE across the country at 1,598 examination centres.
The candidates are made up of 239,963 males and 221,050 females. They are being supervised by at least 15,695 invigilators.
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) said it had put in place some stringent measures, including the flying of question papers to examination centres in parts of the country to avoid leaking of the questions in this year’s examination.
The measures come in the wake of widespread leaks in the 2015 BECE and 2016 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the country.
Supervisor’s alert
The Examination Supervisor at the Accra High School centre, Mr Emmanuel Techie, said all measures needed to be put in place by the WAEC and the Ghana Education Service (GES) at the centre had been strictly taken.
Two candidates writing this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) at the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) centre in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, could not turn up for the examination, writes Samuel Duodu, TAMALE.
One of the absentee candidates is said to be deceased, while the other had migrated to the south to become a head potter, popularly known as ‘Kayayie’. They are both girls.
The Northern Regional Director of Education, Alhaji Mohammed Haroon, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic after he visited some of the examination centres in the Tamale Metropolis yesterday in the company of the Regional Minister, Mr Abdallah Abubakari, and the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sagnarigu, Mr Mohammed Sorogodoo.
Alhaji Haroon said apart from the two cases of absenteeism recorded at the GHANASCO, everything went on smoothly at the other three centres visited, which were the Tamale SHS (TAMASCO), the Northern Business SHS (NOBISCO) and the St Charles SHS.
According to the regional director of education, a total of 43,265 candidates, made up of 24,452 boys and 19,463 girls, are taking part in the examination in the region.
He cautioned them against cheating and said anyone who would be caught cheating would not be spared, saying this is the time they must also prove to their parents that the investments they had made in them was for a good purpose by passing the examination to continue their education.
Mr Abubakari encouraged the children to stay focused and wished them well in the examination, saying at the end of the day, they all needed to come out successfully.
From the Ashanti Region, Daniel Kenu and Emmanuel Baah report that a total of 91,349 candidates, made up of 46,931 males and 44, 418 females, are writing the week-long BECE.
The figures represent an increase of 3,534 candidates as compared to that of last year.
The Regional Minister, Mr John Alexander Ackon, led a team from the Regional Educational Service, including the Regional Director of Education, Mrs Mary Owusu-Achiaw, to visit some of the centres in the region, and apart from delays in some parts of the region, the exercise was smooth at other centres.
The minister and his team toured selected schools in the metropolis, including the Saint Louis, Prempeh College and Yaa Asantewa centres, as well some centres in the Amansie East and West, and Tepa in the Ahafo Ano North districts in the region.
Mr Ackon challenged them to put in last-minute efforts to be able to ‘redeem the time’ and stop over-relying on prayers for success.
In the Kumasi Metropolis, the CEO of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Mr Kojo Bonsu, urged the candidates to offer their best to make their parents proud.
He toured some selected schools, including the Anglican Senior High School, where the paper delayed for close to 30 minutes.
In the metropolis, a total of 23,176 students comprising 11,306 males and 11,870 females from 508 schools are writing the exams in 87 centres.
Accompanying the CEO of KMA were the Metro Director of Education, Mr Alexander Attah-Asante, as well as staff of both the education service and the KMA.
From Bolgatanga, Vincent Amenuveve, writes that some invigilators of the ongoing BECE in the Upper East Region have threatened to withdraw their services if the Ghana Education Service (GES) fails to pay them both night and transport allowances owed them since they completed their invigilation in the 2015 BECE.
According to them, while the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) had fulfilled its part of the bargain,the GES had not honoured its obligations to them.
The Supervisor in charge of the Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School(BOGISS) Centres A,B and C, Mr James Ada-Ebsah, said the invigilators have expressed worry that if their monies were not paid them now, a similar thing would occur regarding the 2016 BECE.
Encouragement
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Albert Abongo, who led a team comprising education authorities in the region, visited some of the examination centres and cautioned the candidates against relying on leaked examination papers.
About 21,000 junior high school candidates in the region are sitting for this year's BECE in 67 examination centres across the region.
From Ho, Ave-Dakpa, Mary Anane reports that about 32, 979 candidates, comprising 18,205 boys and 14,774 girls, were expected to take part in the examination in the Volta Region.
In the Ho Municipality, a total of 2,452 candidates were listed for the examination with an average of 10 schools writing at a centre.
During a visit to some of the centres, including the Kabore Junior High School (JHS), Mawuli SHS centres A and B and Mawuko Girls SHS, the Volta Regional Minister, Madam Helen Adjoa Ntoso, advised the students against cheating in the examination.
Ave-Dakpa camps students
Meanwhile some students who travelled several kilometres to school in the Ave-Dakpa District have been accommodated by the assembly to enable them to have a stress-free examination.
The District Chief Executive, Mr James Gunu, said the assembly and the district education directorate had given the candidates adequate preparation to excel.