Over 600,000 candidates from various schools in the country, on Monday, August 8, 2023, have started a week-long Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The exam, popularly known as BECE, is conducted nationwide by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for final-year public and private Junior High School students each year.
As schools and parents take time to take candidates through adequate preparations towards the examination each year, the candidates on the other hand utilise all the help coming their way for the task ahead.
Over the past years, helping candidates to effectively prepare towards the BECE has moved from being a parent, school concern, to a national concern, where leaders in the various societies are seen donating learning materials and organising training to candidates ahead of time, to help equip them enough for the exam.
A few of such people is the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat of Ghana, Mr. Kingsley Agyemang, the Founder of the Kingsley Quiz, comprising the Kingsley Spelling Challenge and the Kingsley Science and Math Quiz in the Abuakwa South Municipality, Kumasi.
The Municipal Director of Education for Abuakwa South, Mrs. Comfort Ofori Appiah, has disclosed that, the performance of candidates in the BECE had improved over the past two years in the Municipality as a result of the introduction of the Kingsley Science and Math Quiz.
She made this observation last week, at the Auditorium of Kibi Presbyterian College of Education during the finals of the Kingsley Quiz, and, according to her, statistics available showed that, schools within the Municipality, after taking part in the Quiz, had recorded a momentous improvement in the BECE results, and was hopeful that the previous results would be improved upon with single digits in the Municipality.
Additionally, Mr. Kingsley Agyemang launched the “BECE 2023 Project,” where all 896 candidates in his Municipality were transported daily to their various examination centers throughout the examination period, at no cost. The project also seeks to provide free food for all 1, 800 candidates daily.
The Assembly Member for Krofrom East Municipality, Mr. Patrick Kwame Frimpong, also donated Mathematical sets to all final year BECE candidates, sanitary pads to female students, and 150 dual desks to the New Tafo M/A Basic and Junior High schools (JHS) and Adabyia Islamic Basic School, which received 50 dual desks.
New Tafo M/A Division Basic School got 70, while Division JHS received 30.
It is very gratifying, knowing that, while the government through the Ministry of Education has taken it upon itself to improve infrastructure and the entire educational system across the country, there are the likes of Mr. Kingsley Agyemang, Mr. Patrick Kwame Frimpong and the team from Aboso Gold Fields Limited (AGL), doing their best to complement these efforts, by contributing their quota to help build on the educational system in the country.
Even though the government is doing its best, I still believe there is more it can do, to strengthen the educational system in the country, especially in deprived communities.
I equally commends every individual and organisation that is going out of their way to help promote and enhance human capital through education and skills development, by way of building the country as a whole.
A gesture such as these, I strongly believe, will inspire and encourage the candidates to have confidence in writing their BECE examination, and come out with flying colors, moving them a step further towards their future aspirations, to become responsible adults in the society, for the benefit of the country at large.
I therefore call on all well-meaning individuals, churches, imams, corporate organisations and stakeholders to not only emulate these kind gestures, but to also extend it to other sectors such a healthcare, agriculture, construction etc.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
