The Techiman Municipal Education Director, Mr Isaac Nsiah Edwards, has revealed that this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) has seen the highest rate of examination absenteeism in the municipality.

He said that, out of 4, 063 candidates who registered for the 2020 BECE, 76 – the highest he has ever seen in the municipality.

Giving a further breakdown, the Municipal Education Director stated that 45 out of the 76 absentees were females, with the remaining 31 being males.

In an interview with Angel FM’s Koo Gyamfi, Mr Nsiah noted that “nothing bad happened during the exams but the striking feature in this year’s BECE is the rate of student absenteeism. It is too high for my liking. In my opinion, it is too high as compared to previous years. This year alone recorded 76 absentees who couldn’t write”.

According to him, the reasons for the absenteeism are varied; ranging from child marriage to teenage pregnancies among other factors.

“Some of the students are pregnant hence did not see the need to come and write. Others too have been given out for marriage and their husbands have travelled with them”, Mr Nsiah said.

He explained further that some of the students missed the exams due to natural disasters while others might have been involved in accidents.

Mr Isaac Nsiah, however, said 17 pregnant girls were able to sit for the exams where two gave birth in the course of the examinations.

He also praised the invigilators, students and other stakeholders for their cooperation and efforts to ensure students’ safety and the successful completion of the examinations throughout the 5 days.

While advising the students to conduct themselves properly at home while awaiting their results, the educational director appealed to them to assist their parents and stay away from acts that would jeopardise their future.