Akatsi District Did Not Score Zero% In BECE

The recent damning report published by pro-NPP newspaper ‘The New Crusading Guide’ which was hyped by media giant, Joy FM, that schools in the Akatsi District of the Volta Region scored 0% in their latest Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E), has been found out to be false.

A five-page official report from West African Examination Council (WAEC) titled: Analysis Of The 2012 Basic Education Certificate Examination Results – Akatsi District, available to The Herald, has revealed that the Akatsi District’s pass rate for 2011 BECE is 33.34%, but not zero per cent as blazingly reported by the two media houses.

A momentary look at the report indicated that 1,445 candidates were registered from 52 schools in the Akatsi District, out of which three candidates were absent, reducing the total number of the candidates to 1,442.

Thorough analysis of the report showed that, four schools, namely, Ami Preparatory Junior High School (JHS), Holy Childhood Preparatory Junior High School, Avenorpedo Junior High School and Emmanuel Preparatory Junior High School scored 100% while 13 schools scored between 94.7% to 50.4% with the rest scoring below 50%.

It was further noted that out of the 52 schools registered, only three scored 0%. These were viewed as the most deprived schools in the Akatsi District.

With these facts available at both the Ghana Education Service and the District Assembly, it is still not clear in the mind of the people of Akatsi, including the District Chief Executive, Mr. Peter Kwasi Nortsu-Kotoe, “the motive of ‘ The New Crusading Guide’ to publish a front page story headlined: Akatsi District Scores Zero% In B.E.C.E”.

The story which became Joy FM’s main agenda for discussion for the day, The Herald gathered, sparked chaos, with people asking why the media houses did not check their facts well.

Among the teachers in the district, the story paints them as lazy, while parents feel that they have been portrayed as irresponsible, with students who are on the way to the secondary school, also holding the notion that the would-be mates will be seeing them as persons who had to pay bribes to gain admission to the school.

Some officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES) who also spoke to this paper last Friday, expressed their disapproval about the way and manner the media houses shaped the story, compelling the public to believe that, indeed, the district had scored a complete zero percent.

They insisted that a little crosschecking would have avoided the reckless journalism which has tarnished the image of district’s GES office and that of the Assembly.

According to one official, “though our performance had fallen drastically by 15% against the previous year, we believe that we could do better in the upcoming years”.

He noted that “it is unfortunate that whenever the district does well, the media does not see it newsworthy for publication, rather in hasty to publish unreliable information to the public.”

A visit to Akatsi, the district capital, revealed that the people of the area, most of who perceived Joy FM to be fair, had failed to test the authenticity of the story but also went ahead to hype it.

For them, even if the radio station wanted to discuss the story, the right person the station should have called is the Director of G.E.S or the DCE, and not the Volta Regional Minister, Mr. Joseph Amenowode, who knew nothing about the story as at the time.

Meanwhile, The Herald’s information is that the concocted story was a schemed agenda to discredit the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ave-Avenor, Mr. Edward Doe Adjaho and the DCE, to run them down ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary primaries of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Followers of the MP say that those desperately angling to unseat the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament are the brains behind the malicious publication, calculated at bringing disgrace to the district and, for that matter, the constituency at large forgetting that the negative story affects them and their wards as well.

In an exclusive interview with the DCE, told The Herald that the Assembly which he heads would not be distracted by the actions of the detractors, but would focus his attention on achieving the Better Ghana Agenda of the Mills-led government.

He disclossed that the Assembly is aware of the meetings which have been taking place behind closed door and targeted to cause disorder in the district.

Mr. Nortsu-Kotoe emphasized that it’s about time they all come together and nurture their differences to restructure the district. He said he is in possession of the BECE result, and that every fair-minded journalist or press house can reach him for the truth.

He cadded that his outfit is committed to achieving the mandate given him, and assured parents that he would re-organize the fallen standard of the performance of the students. He applauded the industrious schools for their excellent performance.

The assembly, meanwhile, has set up a committee to investigate and make recommendations to enhance academic performance in the district.

Mr. Nortsu-Kotoe was certain that it is only through education that the area can be developed.