Private BECE takes off today, February 12
This year’s private Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) takes off today in 44 centres throughout the country, with a record figure of 11,856 candidates writing.
It will be written from today, February 12 to Friday, February 16, 2018.
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Six thousand, eight hundred and sixty-six boys and 4,989 girls will be writing the examination that will be supervised by 44 supervisors.
This year’s figure represents 739 per cent increase over last year’s 1,393 candidates who wrote the examination.
The number includes candidates who are rewriting the examination because they did not perform well in specific subjects, as well as those desirous to further their education and are, therefore, writing the examination for the first time.
Regional breakdown
This is the fourth time the private examination is being held after it was first held in 2015.
The Ashanti Region has the highest number of candidates of 1,520 boys and 1,070 girls, totalling 2,590, followed by Western and Eastern regions with 2,118 and 1,921 respectively.
The Central and Greater Accra regions presented 1,323 and 1,106 respectively, while the Brong Ahafo and the Volta regions presented 916 and 543 respectively.
The Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions are being represented by 491, 455 and 392 candidates respectively.
Advice to candidates
While wishing the candidates good luck, the Public Relations Officer for the West African Examination Centre (WAEC), MrsAgnes Teye Cudjoe, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, urged them to observe all examination rules and avoid engaging in malpractices.
She said unlike the previous ones which had small numbers and, therefore, were restricted to only 10 centres, “the astronomical numbers have forced us to increase the centres from 10 to 44 and each centre will have a supervisor.”
Mrs Teye-Cudjoe warned that WAEC would not hesitate to cancel the results of candidates found to still be in school and advised parents to desist from the practice.
“Candidates who are still in school such as JHS Two and Three must not write this exams. If any of them is caught, that person has himself or herself to blame. We advise parents who engage in such acts to desist from it because they are teaching their children to cheat,” she warned.
Mrs Teye-Cudjoe said the first paper, which would be English Language and and Religious And Moral Education, would take off at 9.30 a.m. prompt so candidates must make sure that they locate their centres ahead of time so that they could be present at the beginning of the paper.
