About 20 pregnant Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates failed to write the examination in the Bawku West District of the Upper East region.
The District Director of Education for Bawku West, Mrs Cecilia Sumaila, who disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times on Tuesday, expressed worry about the trend.
She said her outfit would have made efforts to bring back the pregnant girls to write the BECE if the incident was reported to the directorate on time.
Mrs Sumaila advised candidates to conduct themselves well during the examination.
She entreated supervisors and invigilators to discharge their duties professionally, by conducting themselves in accordance with the rules and regulations of the examination
A total of 2,046 candidates, comprising 1,020 males and 1,026 females from 50 public and private schools in the district registered for this year’s BECE.
Of the number, 22 candidates were absent. The absentees were made up of two males and the 20 pregnant candidates.
The District Chief Executive for the area, Mrs. Victoria Ayamba, encouraged the candidates to put up their best, and avoid examination malpractices.
She gave the assurance that those who would come out successfully in the examination would benefit from the free Senior High School education.
Meanwhile when the Ghanaian Times visited some of the examination centres in the Bolgatanga Municipality, some candidates, who were pregnant, were seen writing the examination.
At the Bolgatanga Technical Senior High School, two pregnant candidates were seen writing the examination.
The Regional Director of the Department of Children, Mrs. Georgina Aberese-Ako, attributed the incident of teenage pregnancy among girls in the region to parental neglect and peer pressure, and asked parents to take good care of their children.
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