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Mrs Bernice Ofori, the Tema Metropolitan Education Director, has urged basic school graduates entering senior high school to make friends with mates who are disciplined and avoid falling into bad companies.

She said friends had a huge impact on their studies hence the need for careful selection to enable them to achieve their future goals.

Mrs Ofori gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the presentation of school items to first-year SHS students by Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, the Member of Parliament for Tema East, as part of the Tema East Educational Foundation Back to School Project.

She encouraged the students not to engage in activities they would later regret due to “peer pressure” and endeavour to rise above all odds, get good grades, and complete their studies successfully.

Mrs Ofori said they would experience many challenges as they climbed the academic ladder and urged them not to give up during such trying moments but focus on attaining higher educational laurels.

“Don’t drop out and join your friends who are struggling to make ends meet, make a difference in your family and community,” she said.

She called for a collaborative effort among educational stakeholders in the Tema Metropolis to work together towards improving the performances of pupils at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West Africa Senior Secondary School Examination (WASSCE).

“Parents must also ensure that their children are in school and their needs provided to prevent their dropping out of school,” Mrs Ofori said.