BECE Candidates in Yilo, Manya Upbeat about 2018 Examinations as GES Extends SHS Selection
The 28th edition of the national basic assessment for basic schools, the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), began at 9:00 am Monday throughout the country.
A total of 509,824 candidates from 16,060 basic schools will converge on 1,772 examination centres across the country, Rite FM has learnt.
But even as the 263,295 males and the 246,529 females, representing an increase of 8.9 per cent over the 2017 figure of 468,060, sit for the examination, most of them will be apprehensive, as they are yet to get their choices of Senior High Schools (SHSs) fed into the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) system.
This follows the late submission of the new policy guidelines of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to be fed into the WAEC system to ensure the smooth placement of the candidates in their preferred Senior High Schools.
The GES has, however, assured the candidates that it is extending the selection of SHSs by the 2018 BECE candidates by three weeks after the examination.
Somewhere in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, a total of 2078 candidates are expected to sit for the examination across 8 centers.
A total of 75 schools, 39 being private and 36 public; 1043 and 1035 male and female candidates respectively were registered.
Even though the male candidates outnumber the female candidates by 8, girl child education is much to be desire in the Municipal.
Out of the 8 centers serving as examination centers in the municipality which Rite FM’s Omanba Kodwo Boafo visited, the environment at five of the centers was not only calm, serene and conducive but also friendly for examination.
But some private school teachers who spoke to the reporter bemoaned the late arrangement in regards to examination halls, tables and index numbers.
“One thing I am not happy with is the fact that students have come here this morning before looking for their examination hall, index number and tables, an exercise which should have taken place last Friday,” the teacher said.
At Manya Krobo Senior High School, candidates upon completion of the first paper, English Language, expressed joy, at how “easy” the paper was and consequently taking off all examination phobia (fear) from them.
Meanwhile, some few candidates decried the limited time allotted for the paper which resulted in their inability to complete the English paper, even though they admitted the paper was “normal.”
Reporting from the Yilo Krobo Municipal, Rite News’ Joyce Bedeley said, a total of 2048 candidates aere expected to take part in the examination across 7 centres.
At the Presbyterian number 1 and 2 centre, Mr. Isaac Budu, the centre coordinator told Rite FM that 11 schools with 321 candidates will be accounting for their 9 years stewardship under the security of two police personnel.
529 candidates forming the greatest number at a centre involves students writing from the Yilo Krobo Senior High School. While centre ‘A’ has 338 candidates writing the exams, 191 candidates are writing at centre B.
According to reports, examination materials reached the two centers under police supervision.
The two districts on Thursday, 31st May, 2018 on the Rite Morning Ride pledged their commitment to improve upon last year’s performance of their respective districts.
In 2017, the Yilo Krobo Municipality recorded a 90.1 percentage pass while Lower Manya scored 53.3 percentage pass.
The exercise continues till Friday, 8th June, 2018 with subjects such as Integrated Science, Basic Design and Technology (BDT), Information Communication and Technology, French Language, Mathematics, Ghanaian Language and Social Studies.
Source: Omanba Kodwo Boafo/ritefmonline.org
