Future of unqualified BECE candidates worrying (Education Page)

Oct. 26, 2009

GHANA’S Representative of Professionals in Mission Worldwide, Reverend Dr Divine Amattey, has expressed concern about the future of the large number of basic school graduates who fail to qualify for senior high schools each year.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, Rev. Amattey who is also the President of All for Christ Mission, said every year thousands of pupils failed to gain admission to continue their education and wondered if the government found time to follow up on their human capacity development.
Quoting figures from an assessment of the 2009 Basic Education Certification Examination (BECE) produced by the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) and published in the Daily Graphic on October 10, 2009, he said it was unfortunate that every year, more than 30 per cent of pupils who sat for the examination got aggregate 30 and above which made it difficult for them to gain admission to senior high schools.
According to the WAEC assessment, out of a total of 395,599 pupils who sat for the BECE, 246,872 students had up to aggregate 30 or better which constituted 62.40 per cent.
Looking at this year where about 49,000 students could not get below aggregate 30 and the results of 22, 014 students were withheld, Rev. Amattey said it was clear that many of the country’s youth might not have a bright future if nothing was done about the situation
Rev. Amattey suggested the establishment of more vocational and other professional institutes to absorb all students who failed to gain admission to senior high schools to save them from becoming dropouts or deviants.
He said for the country to get the quality education needed for its citizens, certain sectors should be looked at critically
Rev. Amattey cited motivation for teachers to make them perform better, a critical look at the education curriculum, supervision of teachers’ work, provision of infrastructure and the need for parents, communities and society in general to show interest in the work of the children and what happens in their schools as necessities for the improvement of education.
He advised all stakeholders to play their respective roles to give employable skills to as many of the youth as possible so that they do not become a problem to society.
On the issue of cancellation of examination results, Rev. Amattey said it was unfortunate that some mission schools were involved in examination malpractices and urged the heads of such schools to inculcate in the students virtues that will make them stay out of such behaviours.
He queried how students in mission schools who were supposed to be trained in the ways of the Lord could indulge in anti-social vices such as the use of false certificates to gain admission to higher institutions.