Officials of the Ghana Education Service in the Bawku Municipality and Binduri District in the Upper East Region on Wednesday announced that they were ready to start this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) slated for June 4.

The Bawku Municipal presented 2,010 candidates made up of 1,013 boys and 997 girls respectively from 54 Junior High Schools. Out of this, 16 are from private institutions while 38 are from public institutions.

The Binduri district presented 995 candidates made up of 517 boys and 478 girls from 31 schools. Seven are private schools while 24 are public schools.

Ten centres are earmarked for candidates from the Bawku municipality, while the Binduri district would be sitting in three centres.

Examination officers, Mr Saeed Adam from the Bawku Municipal Education Directorate and Mr Iddrisu Amadu from the Binduri District Education Directorate disclosed these in separate interviews with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Bawku to confirm their preparedness to conduct the examination.

Mr Adam, touching on security arrangements for the examination said the candidates, examination officials and materials were ready for a smooth start of the examination, adding that even though the Bawku area was calm, Police protection would be provided at all the centres to ensure a successful examination.

Mr Joseph Azuntaba Bawku Municipal Education Director, assured parents and candidates of the directorate’s and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) preparedness to conduct a free and fair examination.

Mr Azuntaba urged the candidates to be well composed and be bold, desist from fear and panic and see the examination as one of the class tests, adding that when they do that it would give them courage to overcome anxiety.

He reminded the candidates of WAEC’s conditions to punish candidates who indulge in examination malpractices and counselled them to desist from any such practice.