Tafi Mador (V/R), Oct. 12, GNA - One hundred and seventeen Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) result slips and certificates are still unclaimed by students of Tafi Mador Junior Secondary School (JSS) who sat for the examinations between 1990 and 2002. Togbe Adzah Kofi V, Chief of Tafi Mador speaking at the second Tafi Mador Youth festival celebration deplored the situation and observed that the youth no longer appreciated the value of education as it pertained in the past.

Togbe Kofi said this attitude coupled with others had culminated in the falling standards of education in the area reaching crisis level if steps were not taken immediately to stem the tide. He said provision of school infrastructure had not improved over the years.

Togbe Kofi said the theme for the celebration "education and development" offered a rear opportunity to address the situation since no meaningful development could take place without educating the youth who constituted a vital human resource base. He noted that only a few JSS students from the area gained admission into Senior Secondary School (SSS) in the last five years confirming the abysmal standard at the JSS level.

Togbe Kofi said only four out of 20 students presented for the last BECE qualified to gain admission into the SSS with the first candidate obtaining aggregate 24 in the best six subjects offered. He said two students passed the BECE in 2004 with four out of 18 passing in 2003 contrary to the previous rating of the Tafi Mador JSS among the best in the district.

Togbe Kofi said in 1993, 31 out of 34 candidates presented for the BECE passed with the best student obtaining aggregate seven in the best six subjects.