Accra, Sept. 30, GNA - The Ahafo-Ano North Education District is to relocate the Mabang Examination Centre to reduce the stress candidates in the area go through during the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).

Mr Matthew D. Garrah, who is in charge of Supervision, Monitoring, Teaching and Learning at the West African Examination Council (WAEC), told the GNA in an interview on telephone that the new centre would be located at Akrofofo, which is seen to be more convenient to pupils located in the surrounding communities.

The relocation of the Mabang Examination Centre followed reports by parents in the District that candidates had to travel about 16 kilometres before reaching the centre and that had impacted negatively on their performance particularly in the 2005 BECE at which only two out of the 38 candidates passed with aggregate 15 and 27. The parents said they had to provide accommodation, feeding, means of transport and pay electricity bills for the six days that the candidates spent at the Mabang Secondary School. At a Parent-Teacher Association meeting (PTA), they threatened to withdraw their children from the local Junior Secondary School, which they blamed for being adamant to the plight of the pupils in spite of their poor output.

Mr Kweku Nyamekye-Adu, Head, National Education Administration Department of WAEC, said after the Council received the report, the authorities in the District were contacted to verify its authenticity. "When we got to ascertain what was on the ground we advised the District Officers to work out the possibility of relocating the centre. "Indeed, the situation was bad but because WACE does not unilaterally allocate or change centres, all the parties needed to be brought on board."

Mr Partick Boakye, Headmaster of the School, told the GNA that at the beginning of the term 30 out of the 100 pupils had been withdrawn while 36 candidates, who failed the BECE had enrolled at schools in nearby Dwaaho and Manfo.

He said for the past six years BECE results had not been impressive due to the long distance that the candidates have to travel to the examination centre and condition under which they live to write the exams.