Mayor of Accra tours BECE centres

The first female Mayor of Accra, Hon Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey has toured some Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) centers in the Accra Metropolis to offer words of encouragement to the candidates and cautioned them against malpractices. The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) who was accompanied by some officials of the Metro Education Department as well as other officials from the Assembly visited several centers including the John Wesley Methodist school, where 264 candidates were seated for the exams as well as the Bishop's Mixed JHS which also comprised 224 registered candidates with one candidate absent. The AMA boss wished all candidates well and cautioned them to refrain from all forms of examination malpractices such as the use of foreign materials as she believed their truthfulness in the examination would be a reflection of their faithfulness and patriotism to mother Ghana as their growth into responsible adults. "You are the future generation and I want to encourage you to look up to God, fear not, and don't attempt to cheat but genuinely do your best and God will see you through," she told the candidates. “We want you to be responsible and put up your best and we are here to bid you good luck and most importantly encourage you to adhere to all examination rules to have a successful exam, that is why we are here today...” she added. Speaking to the media the Chief Executive revealed that there were 27 centers that comprised 6,195 registered candidates for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) within the Accra Metropolis and were hopeful that all these candidates would come out with flying colors. She also used the opportunity to commend the teachers who tirelessly prepared the candidates for the examination. "From all the centers I have been to, it is clear that the teachers have prepared the candidates very well, the demeanor of the children depicts seriousness and it is obvious that they are in to pass," she said. In an interview with the media after the tour, Hon Elizabeth Sackey expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination as well as the comportment of candidates and used the opportunity to call on all invigilators to refrain from assisting candidates to indulge in cheating or any other forms of malpractices in the examination halls either for personal gains or love for the candidates since according to her, the best form of love to show the candidates was to show them how to live as responsible individuals and citizens of this country. "I will entreat all invigilators to be careful not to deliberately create an environment for cheating, either for personal gains or out of sheer love for the children... Honestly speaking, the best love you can show these candidates is showing them how to live responsibly, honestly, and diligently for themselves and for mother Ghana," she said. She also called on parents to spare their children sometime during the period and guide them as they learn to come out successfully. About 6,195 candidates from 27 centers within the AMA are said to be taking this year’s BECE which began on Monday and is expected to end on Friday, October 21st. The BECE is written annually after three years of Junior Secondary Education in the country to qualify students for admission into Senior High and Vocational Schools.