Ten students who excelled in the 2011 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Berekum municipality have been presented with awards at a ceremony in Berekum.

Each of the students received a certificate, reading and text books, as well as an undisclosed amount of cash. “Patrons of Berekum”, an association made up of Berekum citizens resident in Accra organised the award scheme.

The students were Peter Ansu Adjei and Evans Kofi Tachie of Techiman Senior High School (TESS), Dennis Yeboah of Anglican SHS in Kumasi, Oscar Bediako of Berekum SHS and Thomas Aboagye of T.I Ahmadiya SHS in Kumasi.

The rest are Mabel Benewaa Acheama of Sunyani High School, Rose Adu Darko, of Berekum Presbyterian Senior High School (PRESEC), Joyce Yeboaa of Akumfi Ameyaw SHS, Portia Agyeiwaa and Ernestina Afia Kyeraa of OLA Girls SHS and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) respectively.

Making the presentation, Professor Daniel Obeng-Ofori, Secretary of the Patrons, said the association, which was established in 2001, aims at promoting quality education in the Berekum municipality.

“In pursuance of this noble objective, we monitor the performance of all the basic schools in the BECE annually”, Prof. Obeng-Ofori, who is the Deputy Provost, College of Agriculture and Computer Sciences of the University of Ghana stated.

He said the association had adopted the four schools that scored zero percent in the BECE in 2011 and was working hard to help improve the performance of students, whilst it had donated bags of cement to the Nyenkyemamu D/C and Berekum Madrasati Islamic Junior High Schools.

Prof. Obeng-Ofori said the association had also provided gas lamps to some of the schools in the villages without electricity, to enable the final year students to study in the night as they prepare for this year’s BECE.

He advised the beneficiaries “to concentrate on their books” to enable them to excel in the West African Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Mr Stephen Lord Oppong, Municipal Chief Executive, commended the association for the tremendous role it has been playing towards the growth of education in the area.

He commended government for providing all the four public SHS in the municipality with a number of infrastructure including, dormitories, teachers’ quarters, school blocks, water supply system and computer laboratories.

Mr. Oppong said, all schools under trees in the municipality had been eliminated whilst the better Ghana agenda was on course.

Mr. Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng, Member of Parliament (MP) for Berekum, appealed to all the key actors in education, in the municipality, to collaborate effectively, identify and find lasting solutions to problems that affected the development of education in the area.

He said promoting quality education was a shared responsibility between all stakeholders and advised parents to work in harmony with teachers in the proper upbringing and development of their children.

This, the MP said was the only way that could help bring down absenteeism and truancy among the school children in the municipality.**