Over 500,000 students in Ghana began their basic education certificate examination (BECE) Monday.
A tour to some centers within the eastern port city of Tema and its environs indicated the exams went on smoothly with no major incidents.
Some of the students told Xinhua in an interview that the questions were within what their teachers had taught them ahead of the examination.
Fifteen (15) year-old Nicholas Adjetey, a student of Community 7 Number 2 junior high school (JHS) who wrote the examination at Chemu senior high school, said, “The questions that were set for us are okay. I was able to answer them and I’m praying the remaining papers will not be difficult.”
Marian Anderson, 14, of the same school, observed that the questions set by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) met her expectations and expressed optimism that she would be able to gain admission to the senior high school next year.
“I have fully prepared for my BECE. The questions were not bad and I’m looking forward to gaining admission to the SHS to pursue my dream career,” she said.
The Supervisor for Chemu SHS center, Benjamin Monyo, observed that the materials for the conduct of the examination arrived on time for the start of the exams and that no problems had been encountered so far on day one.
He said, “My center received all the test materials in good time for the examination to start at the stated time. So far so good, no major problems have come up here.”
A total of 552, 276 candidates from 18,501 schools across Ghana are writing this year’s basic education certificate examination.
A statement issued by the West African Examination Council said this year’s examination would be written at 2,023 centres throughout the country.
The statement said: “The entry figure is made up of 276,988 males and 275,288 females.” The number of candidates that registered for this year’s BECE is 3.48 percent less than the 2021 entry figure of 572,167.”
“In respect of the BECE for private candidates, 1,132 candidates, made up of 634 males and 498 females, entered the examination,” it added.
The WAEC assured the public that all appropriate measures had been put in place to safeguard test security and the successful conduct of the examination.
The examination, which begins on Monday, will end on Friday, and successful candidates will qualify for selection to be enrolled in various senior high, technical, and vocational schools across the country next year.
The BECE is written after three years of junior high school education and is administered by the Ghana Education Service under the Ministry of Education. Enditem
