Man, 38, sits for BECE

A labourer and former fisherman, married to two women, should be of interest to compilers and editors of the Guinness Book of Records for a peculiar reason.

The 38-year-old illiterate, determined to become a scholar, had to bear the persistent jeers and taunts from little boys and girls, and even divorce from one of his wives, to school and pass the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) with Aggregate 25.

Some of the little urchins who jeer at him are his classmates at the Gomoaman Preparatory and JSS (GOMPESCO) at Asebu in the Gomoa District of the Central Region.

The cheerful father of five, John Bentum, is known by his mates and teachers as Senior Man. He enrolled in the school three years ago in JSS1, after only a year's stint at formal education in Winneba. He completed JSS 3 this year and clocked a decent aggregate of 25. He is scheduled to be honoured by the school soon for the outstanding feat.

The mirror reports Bentum as saying in an interview at the premises of the school when he came for his exam result, that he did not allow himself to be distracted by those taunts, jeers and divorce from one of his two wives, as he strongly believed that it was never too late for him to go to school.

Bentum said, out his father's 15 children only the oldest was sent to school with the rest taking to fishing, their father's occupation.