Editorial
Wishing all BECE candidates success in their examination
Come Monday, September 14, 2020 this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will start nationwide in all the 16 regions of Ghana and is expected to end on Friday, September 18, 2020.
According to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), a total of 531,705 candidates comprising 269,419 males and 262,286 females from 17,440 schools across the country are to sit for the BECE.
So far, 2,007 centres have been designated for the conduct of the examination.
Over the years WAEC has been warning candidates against examination malpractices but some recalcitrant candidates refuse to heed this advice as they relied on people who provide leaked papers instead of using their own efforts to write their examination.
It has, therefore, become necessary to keep reminding candidates of the dangers associated with engaging in examination malpractices to keep them on check.
Addressing journalists at a news conference in Accra Mrs Wendy Addy-Lamptey, Head of National Office of WAEC urged candidates to apply themselves to their books ahead of the examination and cautioned schools, parents, teachers and invigilators not to engage in acts that would amount to cheating.
Mrs Addy-Lamptey has assured that all logistics and test items needed for the examination were ready and “all question papers have been produced under tight security under the surveillance of the Ghana Police Service and WAEC.”
The Spectator wishes to add its voice to that of WAEC by advising candidates to abide by all the rules from WAEC for the examination to run smoothly to the end. Do not cheat and avoid taking any foreign material to the examination hall. Stay away from illicit assistance popularly known as “apor” and be honest to yourself.
Bear in mind that you have come this far despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and to do something untoward which would warrant the cancellation of papers is not the best.
We are confident that your hard work and adequate preparation towards the examination, coupled with support from your teachers, parents, the government through the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Ministry of Education (MoE) will go a long way for you to come out successfully.
Remember that examination malpractice is illegal and criminal. You have worked so hard so do not allow anybody to mar your future. Take care and abide by all the safety protocols.
We wish you success in your examination.
Dear Editor,
I write to appeal to the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL) to put some of their buses on the Kasoa–Circle route to ease the challenges passengers face every day.
It might interest you to know that going to and from Kasoa is no child’s play. Sadly, it appears we have been left to our fate and at the mercy of greedy ‘trotro’ drivers who employ various tactics to extort money from passengers.
One of the means they usually employ is that at the station, they’ll tell passengers they are not going to Kasoa. However, when you join these vehicles, they take passengers to a point and start calling for new passengers to a different destination. It continues like that until they reach Kasoa. At all the new stops, they collect fresh fares from passengers.
So, it is not true that they are not going to Kasoa — the only reason they do that is to take more money from passengers.
By this behaviour, one ends up spending about GH¢20 for a journey that should cost around GH¢11, and the same amount on the return trip.
This behaviour also results in long queues at the stations at night, giving robbers and pickpockets a field day as they mingle with passengers struggling for transport and end up stealing from them.
I want to plead with the Metro Mass management to put buses on this route to reduce the inconvenience we go through after a day’s work.
The management could also devise ways to make their operations more convenient and reliable, and must consider setting specific times so that passengers would know when buses arrive and when they depart.
Kwesi Pino
Kasoa
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Dear Editor,
I write with deep concern about a safety hazard and the dangers commuters are exposed to, especially those who walk in the area at night.
Along one of the busy roads in the capital — the Neoplan Station stretch of the ‘Accra Dubai’ road — lie several culverts with their metal coverings removed, leaving behind gaping holes that endanger everyone who uses the stretch.
It is a danger to commuters who walk around the area. As a regular visitor to that area, I find it very disturbing. In fact, a gaze into the drain can make one feel dizzy — it is very deep.
These are very common sights from the Railway Crossing area to the Awudome Cemetery area, bringing to the fore the activities of scrap dealers who are mostly blamed for the disappearance of the coverings.
They are dangerous and easy to miss. Children walking to school, the elderly, and even motorists risk serious injury if nothing is done.
This is not just a matter of inconvenience; it is a matter of life. We have seen too many cases where a simple oversight leads to irreversible harm.
A child could fall in. A motorcyclist could swerve and crash. A pedestrian could be injured in the dark. These are preventable tragedies, and we must treat them as urgent.
We cannot wait for disaster before we act. I urge the relevant authorities to inspect such areas, replace missing covers, and prioritise public safety. A simple fix today could save a life tomorrow. Let’s not look away — let’s fix what’s broken before it breaks someone.
Kelvin Acheampong
Dansoman
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