A pregnant student on parade at Bolga Technical ahead of the BECE
There are indications that the number of pregnant Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates in the Upper East Region is on the decrease, as some districts in the region have recorded zero pregnancy cases in this year’s examination.
The reduction has been attributed to the works of some Peer Education Clubs and other Social Clubs formed by some Non-Governmental Organizations in some schools and districts in the region. It is the view of some adolescent-oriented organizations that the availability of contraceptives and condom usage might have contributed to the reduction in the number of pregnancy cases.
So far, DAILY GUIDE can confirm that 13 candidates in Bolgatanga and Bawku municipalities, and Bolgatanga East District alone were pregnant at the beginning of the examination on Monday, June 4, 2018, and two had just given birth.
Out of this number, the Bawku municipality had eight pregnancy cases. Unfortunately, none of the pregnant girls reported for the examination on Monday and Tuesday. In the Bolgatanga municipality, two girls were seen with pregnancies and they all participated in the examination and in Bolgatanga East, three girls were pregnant and participated in the examination. One of the girls who had just delivered also reported for the examination. One other girl who had also delivered failed to report because she had been given out for marriage.
One thing that all these girls had in common was the fact that they were all from public basic schools and observers have started asking questions on some local radio stations in the Bolgatanga municipality about the impact of the Counselling and Guidance Units in the public schools.
The Bolgatanga Municipal Education Director, Ann Kye-eebo Estella, who went round some centres in the municipality was worried about the situation and advised girls to be very careful with their lives.
However, she commended the pregnant girls who reported for the examination despite the outcome of their mistakes.
“The one who gave birth and is here, I want to encourage you to complete your papers. You have made a mistake, but that is not the end of the world. To the rest of you, confidence is what is important; if you are confident, I know you can make it. No cheating; when you cheat you will continue to cheat, so do independent work. You still have some time to revise your notes at home; do so and don’t go for men.” Madam Kye-eebo advised.
A counsellor and headteacher of Bolgatanga experimental school, Mercy Yamtot Adongo, in an interview with the DAILY GUIDE, said the Counselling and Guidance Units in the public schools are doing their best and wants parents to also be serious with the development of their children.
“When they come to school, teachers counsel them on how to live their lives and also choose careers and friends. Â We expect that their parents also continue to advise them to take their studies seriously when they get home.” She stressed.
According to her, many parents still allow their children to attend funeral ‘wake keepings’ and other nocturnal programmes to the neglect of their books. She also blamed some parents for shirking their responsibilities over their children and in many cases, the girls easily fall into the hands of men for their survival.
Some students, who spoke to DAILY GUIDE after their English, Religious and Moral Studies papers, mentioned the absence of a clock in their examination halls as their only challenge.
According to them, the invigilators did not allow them to use their wrist watches under the suspicion that they might be wearing programmable watches.
From: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga