The 2012 Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) took off smoothly in some centres in the Tema Metropolis on Monday, with a call on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to revert to the old time table for the examination.
Mr John Quaye, Mathematics and Physics teacher at Chemu Senior High School in Tema who made the call when the Ghana News Agency visited the two centres at the school, said the current time table was not benefitting the candidates since most of them only stand and chat during the scheduled breaks.
Mr Quaye explained that, until last year when the time table was changed, BECE candidates wrote two subject papers a day during which both the objectives and written parts of a subject were written at a sitting before breaking to prepare for the next subject.
He said from last year, candidates sat for paper one of a subject for 45minutes, broke for one hour before writing the written paper for the same subject after which they broke for two hours again and finally wrote the paper one for another subject.
For example, he said the English Paper One was written between 0900 and 0945 hours, followed by a one hour break, then English Paper Two, and another break before Social Studies Paper One.
Mr Quaye said instead of the candidates concentrating on revising for the next subject, they would have to study Social Studies because the paper two would be written the following day.
He said, even though the aim of the new time table was to give the candidates sometime between the papers to brush-up, it was rather doing more harm than good, and therefore, appealed to WAEC to consider reverting to the old time table.
At the Chemu Centre ‘A’ 305 candidates, consisting of 147 boys and 158 girls, from five schools reported for the examinations.
Mr Augustine Ben Monyo, Supervisor for the Chemu Centre ‘B,’ said the centre recorded one absent candidate from Datus Complex School, who was said to have travelled.**
