Wa, April 20, GNA - Out of 9,126 Junior High School students, who registered for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Upper West Region this year, 9,056 of them turned up for the examination, which began in 33 centres in the region this morning. Out of a total number of 4,070 girls, 45 failed to turn up and out of 5,056 boys, 25 did not report for the examination.

Mr. Cletus Paaga, Upper West Regional Director of Education, made this known to journalists at Wa on Monday.

That was after he conducted the Regional Minister, Mr. Mahmud Khalid round some examination centres to observe the situation there. Mr. Paaga said he had so far not received any report of incidents from examination supervisors adding that he was optimistic that the examination would be conducted successfully.

At a visit to centres at the Wa Senior High School, students from six Junior High Schools in the Wa Municipality are writing the examination, Mr. Khalid expressed concern about the dark nature of the examination halls.