By Kwabena Adu Koranteng

More than 50% of Final year pupil’s students in the Atebubu District of the Brong
Ahafo region have been repeated to form two by the authorities of the mission
schools in a bid to stop them from writing next years Basic Education Certificate
Examination.

These decision according to our sources were taken by the Heads of the
Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches to enable them prepare the
students adequately write and pass their examinations and to also end the annual
record of zero percentage points that the district record after BECE examinations
.

Meanwhile, parents of the pupils have expressed disgust about the move with the view
that it would put their children in great danger since most of them especially the
girls are at high risk of getting pregnant through frustration if their education is
delayed. The also think the boys might engage in drugs as a result of the
frustration they will go through as a result of the decision .

Some of them told this paper that they are currently in good positions to foot the
bills of their children should they have the opportunity to enroll in senior
secondary school next year and wouldn’t want anything to destruct their attention.
Meanwhile, the Atebubu the District Director of Education, Mr Suleiman Jakon has
regarded the decision by the authorities of the mission schools as unwarranted.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the New Crusading Guide, he disclosed that
the principles guiding basic education does not allow pupils to be repeated without
the consent of their parents.
” pupils or students can only be repeated after their parents have agreed to it. The
authorities have no right to do this and we have started discussions with them to
try and find amicable solutions to the issue,” he stated
In a related Development, Teachers in the district who undertook Diploma Courses in
basic education under the distance learning programs with the University Of
Education two years ago have still not received their certificate even though some
of them have fully paid all monies required of them.