553,408 Candidates write BECE
This year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) successfully took off across the country yesterday[October 17, 2022].
A total of 553,408 candidates, including 1,132 private candidates, are writing the examination, which will end on Friday, October 21, 2022.
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Visits to some of the examination centres by Daily Graphic reporters revealed that the candidates wrote their first paper — Social Studies — without any hindrance.
Among the centres visited in Accra were Accra High School, the Flagstaff House Basic School, St Thomas Aquinas SHS and St Paul’s Lutheran School.
Mabel Addo, Ferdinand Gbor and Edem Tsratse, supervisors at St Aquinas, Flagstaff House Basic School and St Paul’s Lutheran School centres respectively, told the Daily Graphic that they had not encountered any challenges.
There was, however, absenteeism at all the centres, with Accra High and Aquinas recording four each, reports Emmanuel Bonney.
Caution
The Head of the National Office (HNO) of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Wendy Addy-Lamptey, visited some of the centres to observe the conduct of the examination.
She was accompanied by the Head of the Test Administration Division of WAEC, George Ohene-Mantey, and the Head of Public Affairs, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe.
Mrs Addy-Lamptey cautioned supervisors and invigilators against taking mobile phones to the examination centres.
According to her, the use of phones to take pictures of questions was against examination regulations and said anyone caught with the devices in the examination hall would be reported to the Ghana Education Service (GES) for sanctions.
According to her, security had been beefed up to prevent any malpractice to ensure the integrity of the examination.
She said reports so far received indicated that everything was in order, except that at some places access was difficult and “officers had to go by canoe to reach the centres”.
“Meanwhile, all our documents and scripts got to the depots in good time,” she said, adding that “so far we have not had any bad report from anywhere”.
She also said the council had increased the number of depots from 156 to 174 across the country to reduce the time of transporting question papers to designated centres.
She advised the candidates to remain focused and also stay away from alleged leaked questions.
Mrs Addy-Lamptey said the fight against examination malpractice was a collective one and, therefore, entreated all to support the council to deal with the canker.
Ho
Alberto Mario Noretti reports from Dzolo-Kpuita that the Ho West District Director of the GES, Francis Yao Agbemadi, dispatched supervisors to go after two pregnant candidates who failed to turn up at their respective centres for the examination.
He said one of the pregnant girls was being restrained from writing the papers by her partner, who had asked her to rather stay at home and take care of his ailing mother.
“In this particular case, we are going with the police to look for her and bring her to the centre,” Mr Agbemadi said.
The absentee candidates were registered at the Kpedze and the Abutia-Kloe centres.
According to the director, the government’s re-entry policy into schools included pregnant examination candidates too, adding that once a candidate was not afflicted by any health problem, nothing prevented him or her from writing the examination.
Bolgatanga
From Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, Gilbert Mawuli Agbey reports that 19,999 candidates, comprising 10,000 females and 9,999 males, are taking part in the BECE in the region.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Upper East Regional Directorate of the GES, Nathaniel N-yaaba, the Bolgatanga municipality recorded the highest number of candidates — 2,847, followed by the Kassena-Nankana municipality — 1,946 candidates.
The Bawku municipality, which presented 2,026 candidates in 2021, registered 1,815 candidates for the examination this year, apparently due to the fact that some of them had to relocate as a result of the insecurity in the area.
In an interview with some of the candidates at the examination centres in Bolgatanga, they expressed optimism that they would do well to be placed in their first-choice schools.
Kumasi
Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor reports from Kumasi in the Ashanti Region that 4,687 males and 5,071 females are writing the BECE in the metropolis.
The PRO of the Kumasi Metro Education Directorate, Nana Yeboah Asiamah II, said it was early in the day to know the number of absentees.
The Deputy Coordinating Director at the KMA, Yvonne Naboo, who toured some of the examination centres, encouraged the candidates to desist from all forms of malpractice.
Cape Coast
From Cape Coast in the Central Region, Shirley Asiedu-Addo writes that 61,752 candidates, made up of 30,818 males and 30,934 females, are writing the BECE.
The candidates, who are from 3,906 schools, are taking part in the examination at 219 centres across the region.
The Examination Supervisor at the Adisadel Centre “A”, Anthony Abban Obeng, said the candidates arrived at the centre on time yesterday, adding that there had not been any hitches.
Sunyani
Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah reports from Sunyani that by 7 a.m. yesterday, majority of BECE candidates had already arrived at the various centres for the examination.
Among the centres visited were the Twene Amanfo Senior High Technical School and the Sunyani SHS, the two biggest centres in the municipality.
All the required examination materials arrived at the centres before 9 a.m. and the examination took off smoothly.
Takoradi
From the Western Region, Dotsey Koblah Aklorbortu reports that 38,635 candidates, made up of 18,986 females and 19,649 males, from 1,258 basic schools are taking part in the examination at 128 centres which have 1,385 invigilators.
The candidates are from 786 public and 472 private schools across the region.
The Western Regional Public Relations Officer of the GES, Betty E. Etroo, said the examination started on time and that everything went on as scheduled.
“I think the issue of absenteeism is better this year and we are happy. We will make the statistics available after the examination,” she said.
Koforidua
From Koforidua, Haruna Yussif Wunpini writes that 52,639 candidates, made up of 26,940 males and 25,699 females, are writing the examination at 216 centres in the Eastern Region.
The New Juaben North Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Comfort Asante, who visited some of the centres, urged the candidates to read through the questions well before answering them, adding that they must also eschew all forms of fear and panic.
Krobo Odumase
Ezekiel E. Sottie reports from Krobo Odumase in the Eastern Region that 2,198 candidates, comprising 1,119 males and 1,079 females from 76 public and private basic schools in the Lower Manya Krobo municipality, are writing the BECE.
The Municipal Director of Education, Samuel Kwesi Tettey, who visited the examination centres, urged the candidates to conduct themselves appropriately.
