A group, by name JM Brigade, has congratulated the 2016 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates for their awesome performance.

According to the group, out of 460, 930 candidates who sat for the BECE, 3,994 got more than 500 out of the total score of 600.

To the group, Ghanaians must not only be interested in bad news, but should be ready to recognise sterling achievements by individuals in their various fields of endeavour.

A statement released by the political activists group stressed: “We at JM Brigade wish to put on record our profound satisfaction with the achievement of this feat, and wish to congratulate the Directorate of Ghana Education Service (GES), and the leadership Ministry of Education (MoE), and urge them to keep up with their good work.”

The statement, which was compiled by Dr. Lawrence Narteh, Dr. H. Kwame Afaglo and Shamsu (resource fellows of JM Brigade), congratulated the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service for putting in place strenuous measures to enhance the country’s education system.

According to them, they are happy with the excellent performance of the students, with the Director General of the GES, Mr. Jacob Kor, has described the BECE results as one of the best in history.

Dr. H. Kwame Afaglo said: “We, therefore, salute the gallant officers who, through hard work supported by clear policy and financial inputs, were able to achieve this feat. Ayekoo!”

He added that they pleaded for the commencement of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) in Accra, which had created more vacancies for the 860 public and private senior high, technical and vocational institutes.

Dr. H. Kwame Afaglo stressed that lack of access to senior high schools would be a thing of the past, since vacancies are also available in the newly-established Community Day Senior High Schools.

“All these achievements could not have happened by accident. Many strenuous and consistent programmes were put in place within the school system to bring about this. For example, when President John Mahama marked World Teachers’ Day at the national durbar held at the Jubilee Park in Brong Ahafo regional capital, Sunyani, on October 5, he took the opportunity to congratulate MoE for its aggressive efforts in stamping out teacher absenteeism in public schools,” he stated.

He thanked the government for proposing to establish Specialist Teacher Training Colleges dedicated to the development and training of the critical mass of teachers, devoted entirely for the Basic School system in the country.

“We, at the JM Brigade, are ready to work with government to find lasting solutions to this, so Ghana can become an exciting place to live in, and for the collective advancement as a country,” he stressed.