FACTORS THAT NEGATIVELY AFFECTS PERFORMANCE OF BECE CANDIDATES FROM REMOTE & POOR COMMUNITIES IN GHANA-A CALL FOR KIND HEARTED FAMILIES, MPs & CHIEFS TO CREATE A CONGENIAL ATMOSPHERE SO THEY CAN COMPETE WITH STUDENTS FROM ELITE SCHLS.
It’s becoming increasingly apparent that BECE Candidates from Rural Schools are seriously disadvantaged when it comes to intensive preparation for the Exams as compared to Candidates from Schools in town. This becomes even more serious within the BECE WEEK. The factors that create this unfortunate weakness for the Rural Poor Candidates are stipulated here.
1- A cursory study has revealed that many of these students from Rural Communities have to spend the week leading to the Exam to organize their lorry fare, food and clothing fit for the 1-week stay in the Exam Center. This alone distorts their revision within this last week.
2- What is even more devastating is their feeding within the 5 Days BECE Week. Most families within the Rural Setting are unable to make adequate provision to last for the 5-day stay in town. The best they can afford is to provide raw food like Beans, Gari, Yams, Plantain etc for the candidates to cook at the Exam Centers themselves. Imagine as they are cooking their food, their colleagues are preparing feverishly for the next day’s paper. This situation prevails each day and destabilizes most of them in the Exam Hall. This situation is even more worrying during the rainy season when farmers are planting. With the scarcity of food within many village homes, the candidates may face feeding challenges this year in particular.
3- What is even more devastating is this 2024 BECE that falls within the rainy season. Some have to cross 7 rivers before reaching the Exam Centers. A few years ago, a boat capsized and most unfortunate candidates got drowned. May Allah protect and guide those candidates who may be crossing rivers this year to reach their Exam Centers.
4- The last Exam Notes made available to Elite Schools, Maths Sets, Rulers, Pens, Pencils, and Erasers are new to most village candidates. Even when provided at the last minute, where are the teachers to take them through these Exam Preparation Notes?
5- In most Rural Communities, especially within this rainy season, teachers who are DRUNKARDS, intensify their DRUNKENNESS. They drink more ‘Akpeteshie’, ‘Pito’, ‘Amarula’ and many other local liquor and forget about the students and even themselves-(this is an eyewitness report from the Upper East Region). What use is a drunken teacher on an Examination Week?
PROPOSED SOLUTIONS TO EMPOWER THE BECE CANDIDATES FROM RURAL SCHLS BEFORE & DURING THE EXAM WEEK
1- This is the week the support from our MPs, DCEs, PRESIDING MEMBERS, CONSTITUENCY CHAIRMEN etc are needed most. If they fail the students during this crucial exam week, their parents should also fail them on election day.
The Community Elders, Chiefs, Parents, and Educated indigens who hail from these villages are required to take up these tasks of calling on the Political Actors to rise to this CLARION Call.
5- I wish to call on every Northern Professional, who resides and lives well in the Cities to rise up to this Task. Don’t wait for anyone. Raise the resources, put it together and entrust it to the Headmasters. They will make preparations within the Exam Centers, to provide rich and ready-made cooked food, specially packed to provide these candidates on a daily bases-Nutricious Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. If possible, they should be provided One Egg Each to enhance the cognitive abilities of these candidates during the entire week.
May Allah Guard and Guide my Rural BECE CANDIDATES and ignite them to score EXCELLENT GRADES. One Day they will rise up to transform the Squalid Conditions of the Rural Communities, especially the 5 Northern Regions that have been neglected by governments over the years.
HAJJ B.M. ADAM
NORTHERN YOUTH EDUCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT ACTIVIST.
0243829579 – ACCRA.
