57 Prisoners, juvenile inmates sit for BECE exams

The 2023 nationwide Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) commenced nationwide on Monday, August 7, 2023.

Among the candidates, are a total of 57 prisoners, with 26 of them being inmates from the Senior Correctional Centre of the Ghana Prisons Service, designated for juvenile offenders aged up to 21 years old.

Additionally, there are 8 candidates from the Kumasi Central Prison, 9 from the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, and 4 from the Sunyani Central Prison who are also taking part in the examination.

In a news report by graphic.com.gh, the all-male candidates from the Senior Correctional Centre also known as the Borstal Home, fall within the age range of 13 to 21 years old.

Many of the inmates are serving maximum three-year sentences for various offences.

These inmates are sitting for the BECE alongside students from the regular schools in the Ayawaso District of Accra at the Bethany Methodist Junior High School.

According to the report, prison officers accompanied the inmates to the examination centre, and waited for them as they wrote their papers after which they took them back to a bus labelled ‘Prisons’ which was on standby, ready to transport the inmates back to the correctional centre after the day's papers.

The Deputy Director of Prisons, Millicent Owusu, who oversees the Senior Correctional Centre, stated that the inmates received thorough preparation for the examination.

She said that the Education Unit of the Ayawaso District, along with some volunteers and teachers from the centre, engaged in discussions and solved past exam questions with the inmates.

Also, they were provided psychological support in anticipation of the examination.

“We have told them that no matter where you are, you will be able to excel, and from here you can move on to the next level. Inmates who sat the BECE in the past were successful and had admission to various senior high schools (SHS), and we have had many who have gone ahead to the tertiary level and are doing very well. Sometimes we invite such people to come and motivate them to know that all is not lost because they are in custody,” she said.

Millicent Owusu continued, “Last year, we registered a similar number and they did well in the exam. They are currently in some SHSs in Accra. Every year, our students do very well. Since the inception of the centre, our students have scored 100 per cent with distinction in the BECE. It is all because of what goes into the preparation”.

The deputy director added that the government covered the registration fees for the inmates, while the Ghana Prisons Service handled other associated costs.

“Although the government is doing its best, we need materials to facilitate teaching and learning. Until recently, we had students writing the BECE without having a computer to know this is the mouse and that is the keyboard,” she highlited.

A science teacher, who has been at the centre for the past five years, Bennett Quist-Ayiku, appealed for support from individuals, corporations, churches, and organizations to provide relevant resources that would enhance teaching and learning.

After completing the initial paper, one of the inmates who had served a year and 10 months of his three-year sentence expressed his contentment at sitting for the BECE and expressed his aspirations for further education. He had been convicted of defilement.

“I should have written my BECE in 2021, but because of my case and conviction, I could not. I will advise all young people to be obedient and respect their parents and all adults because l am here as a result of my disobedience. I am now serving three years in prison” he said.

Another inmate who was preparing for his second paper for the day, disclosed that he had been convicted of stealing a bag containing a laptop and a tablet.

Despite his circumstances, he aspired to become a mechanical engineer and urged young individuals to make better choices.

He advised people of his age “to be good children so they do not end up like me, but I know there’s still hope, and I will make it”.

A different inmate, who ended up at the centre due to theft, recognized education as his path to a brighter future and aimed to gain admission to a senior high school.

The Greater Accra Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service, Assistant Superintendent of Prisons, requested support for a bus to transport senior high school level inmates across the city daily.

The Senior Correctional Centre was established in 1947 as a Borstal Home under the Social Welfare Department, and in 1958 the Ghana Prisons Service took over and changed the name to Senior Correctional Centre.

In 2008, a reformers junior high school was founded to educate inmates and offer free lessons to prisoners seeking self-improvement.

Inmates at the centre's vocational school also receive training in various skills in addition to formal education.

NW/OGB

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