32 prison inmates took part in the just ended BECE

Thirty-two prison inmates took part in this year’s just ended Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS), has disclosed.

The inmates (candidates), all males, twenty-six from the Senior Correctional Centre in Accra and six from Nsawam Medium Prison in the Eastern Region.

The Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the GPS, Chief Superintendent (Chief Supt.) of Prisons Courage Atsem, who disclosed these to Tech Today , said the inmates wrote their examination with other candidates at regular centres at the Dzorwulu Methodist JHS and Nsawam Methodist JHS respectively.

He stated that prison officers were escorting the inmates to the centres and back to the prisons each day but were invigilated by invigilators assigned by GES.

Chief Supt. Atsem said the inmates would use their BECE certificates to take part in Senior High School programme, being organized by the GPS.

He said government absorbed the registration fees of the inmates, adding that inmates who were teachers, prison officers, and teachers from the Ghana Education Service (GES), were engaged to assist the inmates write the examination.

The Director-General of Prisons, Mr. Isaac Kofi Egyir advised candidates who sat for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) to desist from any act that will amount to examination malpractice.

Mr. Egyir gave the advice Tuesday morning when he visited the Bethany Methodist Junior High School examination centre where inmate candidates of the Senior Correctional Centre are writing the BECE. He said he believed that the candidates had been adequately prepared and should therefore obey all the rules governing the conduct of the exams and God will crown their efforts with success. He urged them to put up their best and make the Service, their families and themselves proud.

The inmate candidates who were visibly excited by the visit of the Director-General and his entourage, promised to give off their best in their exams and come out with flying colours.

The Director-General of Prisons was accompanied on the visit by the Director of Prisons in responsible for welfare, Mr. Francis Omane-Addo and Officer-in-charge of the Senior Correctional Centre, Assistant Director of Prisons (ADP) Millicent Owusu (Mrs).

Inmates of the Senior Correctional Centre have since 2009, sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and have each year recorded a 100% pass.

Background

On Monday November 15, 2021, a total of 571,894 candidates took part in this year’s BECE across 2,158 centres in the country.

The Ashanti Region had the highest number of candidates of 111,432 with 55,829 being males and 55,603 females. Also, 105,539 candidates wrote in the Greater Accra Region with 50,815 being males and 54, 824 females.

The Eastern Region had 55,930 candidates, 28,475 males and 27,455 females, Central Region, had 63,727candidates with 31,954 males and 31773 females.

Similarly, 58,316, 53,265, 42,093, 44,838, 22,116 and 14,638 candidates also took part in the Western and Western North, Bono, Ahafo and Bono East, Volta and Oti, Northern, North East and Savannah, Upper East and West regions, respectively.

A total of 531,707 candidates, made up of 269,408 males and 262,299 females, sat for the examination last year.

By: Sheila Satori Mensa