‘Free SHS awaits you’ – Akufo-Addo to BECE candidates

President Nana Akufo-Addo has wished candidates participating in this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) success.

“The very best of luck to the 468,053 beginning today. Free SHS awaits you in September 2017. Seize this opportunity with both hands and open the door to your own and Ghana’s bright future,” Mr Akufo-Addo tweeted.

Government’s Free Senior High School (SHS) is scheduled to commence in September when this year’s batch enrols for second cycle education.

By Free SHS, in addition to tuition which is already free, government said there would be no admission, library, science resource, computer lab, examination, and utility fees; there will be free textbooks, free boarding and free meals, and day students will get a meal at school for free.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has assured the public that no examination leakages will result in this year’s exam.

“The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has done its best in packaging and setting of the questions under strict supervision,” GES PRO Rev. Jonathan Bettey said, adding: “We are 100 per cent sure that security-wise everything is tight” and no leakages are expected.

Over the years, examination leakages have been a challenge for WAEC as some papers have found their way into the hands of candidates before they sit for those papers.

However, Rev Bettey told Class FM’s Moro Awudu on Monday June 5 that measures have been implemented to prevent such occurrences.

He also warned heads of institutions that no candidate should be prevented from taking the exams.

The very best of luck to the 468,053 students sitting this year's BECE, beginning today. Free SHS awaits you in September 2017. (1/2)

— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) June 5, 2017

Seize this opportunity with both hands and open the door to your own and Ghana’s bright future. (2/2)

— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) June 5, 2017

“Information has gone to our heads of institutions against preventing anybody from writing exams in this country. If a candidate owes, he should not be prevented from writing the exams,” he said.

According to him, every defaulting candidate should be allowed to partake in the examination and the district education office informed so that the candidate is made to pay before taking his results slip after the exam.

Rev Bettey added that pregnant students should also be allowed to write the examination if the candidate is healthy enough to sit for the paper.

A total of 468,053 candidates will be writing the exams in 1,702 examination centres across the nation. This represents an increase of 7,040 candidates over last year’s number of 461,013.

The examination, which ends on Friday 9th June, is expected to be held amidst tight security to prevent examination malpractices.