The 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) commenced today across the country, marked by an unusual rule in the North Tongu District.
According to a report by TV3 journalist Joseph Armstrong, candidates at the St Kizito examination centre are prohibited from wearing shoes or belts, a directive reportedly issued by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to prevent cheating.
Armstrong, reporting from the scene, described the situation: “The candidates are standing outside, and they are being briefed by the GES here as to what to do and what not to do. But one thing we have noticed today, and we are told it is a directive from the GES; they are not supposed to wear shoes, and that is across the board, male, female.” Camera footage showed students in line, clad in slippers and sandals, with no belts in sight.
In a notable incident, a Muslim female candidate was reportedly also instructed to remove her veil, suggesting a stringent interpretation of the GES’s anti-cheating protocols.
The report also observed that students were not subjected to intensive searches upon entering the exam hall, leading to speculation that such measures might have been conducted earlier.
The St Kizito examination centre has garnered particular interest due to the recent Akosombo dam spillage, which disrupted the lives and education of many in the region. The spillage reportedly displaced an estimated 35,857 people, including children, with schools either destroyed or rendered inaccessible.
“We want to know if all of them were able to sit for the exam as we are told some of them, after registering, dropped out along the way due to the impact of the dam spillage,” Armstrong mentioned.
The GES is yet to confirm if this directive originated from them and whether it is specific to the St Kizito examination centre or applies nationwide.
As the exams proceed, it remains to be seen how these measures will impact the overall conduct and integrity of the BECE in the North Tongu District.