Finish hard BECE
Tomorrow a new batch of Basic Education Certificate Examination candidates will complete their examinations and will hopefully look to the future with success to gain admission to senior high schools of their choice or by accident. So far, nothing untoward by way of examination malpractice or leak has been reported. It is my prayer that things will stay so, to enable us have credible Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE ) this year. The pupils must be made to appreciate the rewards of hard work.
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Bishop David Oyedepo has argued philosophically that, “you do not fail an examination because it is difficult. You fail because you do not have the facts that make for success.” All those who worked hard would receive the just reward of their sweat. In recent times we have had problems with examination leakages that have caused unquantified hardships for some students, especially those who have sworn never to have anything to do with leaked questions or any attempt to cheat.
I remember that I suffered unjustifiably in 1975, when as a day student I arrived at the examination hall about five minutes to the time of starting the paper only to learn that some apo was floating around. I had no idea of the nature of the leakage and went in to sit down innocently. It was in the course of writing that it became apparent that what was floating was not near the questions before us. Unfortunately, it emerged that there was widespread leakage and so we learnt that the paper was marked down, whatever it meant and so for the Biology paper the best grade was 7. We suffered unjustifiably. Since then, I have always sympathised with students who genuinely write their examinations but suffer penalties of cancellation of their results because others had fore knowledge of the questions.
But returning to the BECE candidates ,in the recent past, there have been incidents of pupils going berserk soon after their last paper and vandalising school property. Some indulge in alcoholic orgies and act all manner of bestial things. School authorities thus dread the end of the final year examination, at the basic level. Many of the pupils forget that the end of the examinations is not the end of their relationship with the school. They would have to go back to the school to collect their stamped results slips as evidence of their having passed the examinations and their level of scholarship.
What it means ,therefore, is for parents to educate and monitor their children who are about to complete their first academic terminal examination to exercise caution and comport themselves to wait patiently for the results and then know how they progress on the education ladder. Whilst the completion of the examination is a moment for joy, the BECE is the lowest point on the academic ladder and it is the success from here which could determine the future of the pupils.
Thus, instead of engaging in unproductive ventures or hooliganism, the pupils must direct their energies at sober reflection and focus on the future. They must equally be prayerful and seek the face of God, because it is only by divine intervention that their future would be positive and productive.
While we encourage parents to be watchful of their children, we equally appeal to the pupils not to go astray but to stay focused. They need some time to rest but they must get back to their books because the journey ahead of them is more difficult than the hurdles they have cleared. They should learn from Nelson Mandela that “ after climbing a great hill, one only finds there are many more hills to climb.” Indeed the BECE is only the beginning, but it is also fundamental to success.
We must all do our bit to ensure that the pupils are not subjected to undue stress. That means that starting with the examiners through to those in charge of the computerised selection process and school authorities, we will all do our part to ensure the smooth transition to senior high school. The results must be released on time to allow the placement to be done in real time. That way, parents would not be put under stress and trauma. If there are any delays, we should not rush to get the fresh pupils into school.
The Ghana Education Service has to do something about the situation of undue delays in the placement of pupils into senior high schools. Although the West African Examinations Council is independent, most of those involved in the marking of the scripts are employees of the GES. Therefore, the GES must influence the process and make it efficient.
