No candidate in 13 public and private schools in the Agona West Municipality gained between aggregates 6 to 30 to enable him or her to qualify for placement to senior, vocational and technical schools in the 2012 BECE examination.

A top official of the Agona West Municipal Directorate of the Education who pleaded anonymity made this known in an interview with newsmen at Agona Swedru.

The official who did not mention names of the schools said percentage scored in this year’s BECE by the district was 34.1 as against 43.8 last year.

According to the officer nine public and four private schools in the Municipality scored zero per cent. The official, who had earlier opened the Kingsridge Montessori School at Agona Swedru, expressed regret that despite interventions by the Agona West Municipal Assembly, Member of Parliament and Educational Directorate the students did not excel in the BECE.

He said the Educational Directorate was worried about the results and expressed the hope that the Directorate would still fight hard to reverse the trend in future.

The officials said efforts being made by the government to promote education would be meaningless if the children do not take their studies seriously.

He appealed to parents to ensure that their children stay at home and learn instead of watching films.

Mr. Kingsford Monka Abban, Executive Director of the School, said the intention to establish the school was to help educate children in the area.

He said there are plans to extend the school from primary to junior high and expressed concern about the increasing rate the youth in Agona West Municipality were indulging in illicit drug use and urged stakeholders to help deal with the situation.