The District Chief Executive for Fanteakwa South District in the Eastern Region, Ernest Ofosu has expressed grave concern over the absenteeism among candidates of the ongoing 2022 Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E.) in his area.
The BECE has entered day four after commencing Monday, October 17, 2022, and will end Friday, October 21, 2022.
In Fanteakwa South, 1,053 candidates registered for the examination with 555 boys and 498 girls however, only 1,038 candidates showed up. This means 15 candidates failed to sit for the exams.
In this regard, Ernest Ofosu, the DCE of Fanteakwa expressed worry in the number of candidates not partaking in the examination although they registered.
He describe the situation as very worrying adding that information available to him shows that most of these candidates were truant to school after they were registered for the BECE.
Mr. Ofosu who made these pronouncements during his visitation to five of the examination centres in his district urged parents and guardians to take a clue from the development to henceforth ensure the punctuality of their wards.
The visited BECE centres were, Begoro SHS center, Hemang Presby Primary Center, Bosuso Pentecost centre, Osino SHS center, and Ahiamekyene D/A.
At Ahiamekyene D/A center they recorded 10 absentees (7 boys and 3 girls), Hemang Presbyterian Primary center recorded 4 absentees (2 girls and 2 boys) whiles Osino SHS also recorded 1 absentee.
According to him, the unprecedented free SHS policy of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is enough for parents therefore they have no excuse to oversee their wards stay at home.
“It is the wish of President Akufo Addo that every Ghanaian child would have free compulsory universal basic education but what I have seen today is not encouraging. But going forward the Assembly would put in place measures to ensure thing won’t occur again,” the DCE added.
He continue by pledging the assembly’s support for candidates who will come out with flying colors in the aftermath of exams despite the Free SHS.
“Because most at times when the children are going to SHS their parents call on the assembly to support to buy their items and we are ready to assist any parent whose child will pass the exams,” Ernest Ofosu assured.
The Fanteakwa South District Education Director, Mathew Adu-Bobi, said the exercise was incident free and was quick to commend the candidates for comporting themselves in the exams hall.
