BECE re-sit should not be incentive to fail – Lecturer
A Lecturer has cautioned junior high school pupils not to regard the introduction of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) re-sit examination as incentive to increase the already worrying failure rate at the level.
Mr John Gatsi, School of Business, University of Cape Coast who gave the caution urged students to endevour to make it at the first instance, as the environment and personal circumstances might not be conducive for better results in subsequent attempts.
He was addressing this year’s joint Special Mathematics and Science Competitive Examinations organized for basic school pupils and workshop for teachers handling the two subjects in the Ketu-North District at Tadzewu, in the Volta Region.
It was organized by the John Gatsi Educational Foundation; a brain child of Mr John Gatsi, from which a total of 350 pupils from 65 schools wrote the examination while 90 teachers benefited from the workshop.
The yearly event is meant to trigger competition among schools and introduce teachers to new demands, techniques and methodologies of handling of specific topics.
Mr Gatsi said one cannot decipher why schools that were excelling decades ago in the area were now recording abysmal results, when infrastructure and logistics were now better.
According to him, 16 schools in the district gained zero % in the 2012 BECE, with only 35 students out of 1,345 candidates having aggregates 7-15, an overall percentage score of 32.3%.
“In the 2013 exams, 12 schools had zero % and 41 students scored 7-15 and overall performance being 35%.
Teachers and education authorities should be able to explain why private schools are performing better than public schools in the district which are much more endowed with infrastructure and trained teachers,” Mr Gatsi stated.
He expressed fear that if the bad situation continued in the next five years, it could threaten the future of families and even the district in view of the needed human resource for development.
He therefore, asked teachers to do their best for the right results otherwise they would have no products to boast of in future.
Mr Daniel Nanewortor, District Examinations Officer said the Foundation’s work in the district was exemplary.
Master Famous Asafo, a pupil who took part in the exams suggested that the numbers of beneficiary pupils should be increased.
Source: GNA