The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) has entreated candidates writing the 2019 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to desist from engaging in any form of examination malpractice.

A total of 517,332 students, comprising 263,616 males and 253,716 females are writing this year’s exams.

In a statement to wish the candidates well, the National Coordinator of GNECC, Ms Veronica Dzeagu, stated that: “The main purpose of such examinations is not to fail any child. Rather, it is meant to assess the progress the child has made in his or her learning. We, therefore, urge all students, teachers, parents and all other stakeholders to avoid any attempt to cheat in order to have an advantage over other students”.

GNECC further underscored the need for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to implement measures to prevent examination leakages.

“We hope that all the necessary measures have been put in place to prevent the problems of cheating and leakage of papers that have mired previous examinations," the statement said.

Candidates in the troubled Chereponi district in the North East Region where communal violence in several Konkomba and Chokosi dominated areas were recorded recently have returned to partake in the examination.

It was the view of GNECC that “security must also be strengthened” to ensure students are adequately protected as they write the week-long examination.

The Coalition also reaffirmed its commitment to promoting the right to quality education for every child in Ghana.