BECE registration is free for those in public schools

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Education Service (GES) says there is no financial burden placed on parents with regard to the registration of their wards for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

According to Kwasi Kwarteng, the government has taken up the entire cost of the BECE examination for students in the public schools.

He clarified that, unlike students in private institutions, students enrolled in the public JHS are not required to pay any registration fees for the exams.

The GES PRO’s assertion comes after some final-year students of Buduatta Junior High School in the Gomoa East District were left stranded at the start of the BECE on Monday after their headteacher allegedly squandered money meant for registration fees.

The students, who could not partake in the exam were seen crying bitterly over the situation.

Speaking to the media, some aggrieved parents who gathered at the school premises on Monday expressed their frustration about the development.

A parent stated that her ward informed her that her name and index number did not appear on the center’s list, and thus she was denied the opportunity to take the exam.

Another parent agreed that putting the students in such a situation after all of their preparations for the exam was unjust.

“Your ward is going to write exam and has prepared only to be told at the last minute that their name is not included. How would you feel if they were your ward? It is painful to enroll your child in school for such a thing to happen,” he said.

To this end, Mr Kwarteng said that the “allegation of the headmaster squandering registration fees should not apply to public Junior High Schools, as there is no financial burden placed on the students or their parents for the BECE registration.”

He, however, encouraged parents and guardians to verify information and seek accurate details “regarding matters related to education to avoid any misconception.”

Source: Myjoyonline