Drama @Takoradi As� ANAS Scare Hits BECE Candidates

Drama unfolded yesterday (last Monday) at the Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS), one of the centres for the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Secondi- Takoradi metropolis when some of the candidates who had finished writing the English Language paper one started looking for a place to hide on seeing journalists at the examination centre. The media men were with the Deputy Western Regional Minister, Alfred Ekow Gyan, on a tour to some examination centres in the area. When the minister and his entourage got to the GSTS examination centre, the candidates had finished with the English Language paper one so journalists who were on the tour decided to approach some of the pupils for their comments on the paper they wrote. Immediately the candidates saw the journalists with their cameras, they started running away and decided not to speak to the journalists. When they finally agreed to speak to the press after persuasion, the pupils explained that they thought Anas, the undercover journalist with the New Crusading Guide newspaper and Tiger Eye was part of the journalists. �We have heard Anas was coming to our centre and we know what he can do, that is why we were running away,� the pupil suspected. Accompanied by the Regional Director of Education, Augustus Nii Lantey Cleland, the deputy regional minister also visited Baidoo Bonsoe Senior High School at Agona-Nkwanta and Bompeh Senior High Technical examination centres, both in the region to see the ongoing activities for himself. The deputy regional minister expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination so far and said he was confident that all would comport themselves and play by the rules. He indicated it was regrettable that in the three centres he visited, a total of 13 pupils who were supposed to write the examination did not turn up. He advised the candidates to resist any temptation to cheat and wished them the best of luck. �All the comported themselves well during the examination and no pupil was seen with unfamiliar material�, he added. Daily Guide gathered that a total of 39,086 candidates comprising 21,123 males and 17,963 females are writing this year�s BECE in the region. When contacted for confirmation, the regional director of education indicated that since the registration of this year�s BECE was done online, the total number of pupils writing the examination in the region could not immediately be obtained. Asked whether the candidates included pregnant girls, Mr. Cleland remarked that his outfit would be able to determine that when reports are released at the end of the examination.