Kwabeng (E/R), Dec. 16, GNA - The District Chief Executive for Atiwa, Mr Kwasi Osei-Agyepong, has expressed concern about the poor performance of pupils in the district in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) over the last three years.

He has, therefore, called on Unit Committees in the district to enforce the by-laws of the Assembly, which prevents pupils from attending video shows and funerals and also to check children roaming in town after 1900 hours.

Mr Osei-Agyepong was speaking at the Third Ordinary Meeting of the Second Session of the Atiwa District Assembly at Kwabeng on Thursday. He recalled that out of the 1,342 candidates presented by the district in 2003 BECE, only 524 had between aggregate six to 30 in the best six subjects, with 818 scoring aggregate 31 and above, bringing the total score of the district to 39 per cent pass.

Mr Osei-Agyepong said in 2004, out of the 1,467 candidates presented, 460 scored between aggregate six and 30, while 1,007 scored aggregate 31 and above, which represented 31.3 per cent pass.

He said this year, out of 1,429 candidates presented, only 359 scored aggregates between six and 30, with the rest scoring between aggregate 31 and above, which represented 24.9 per cent.

Mr Osei-Agyepong said, as a way of avoiding the "doom ahead", the Assembly had decided to set aside a day every year, starting from next year, to be known as the "Excellence Day", for the presentation of awards of schools that would perform well at the BECE.

He said at such award ceremony, the schools, which excelled, as well as their teachers and the circuit supervisors would receive awards. Mr Osei-Agyepong said the awards would include the government television sets provided for schools to support the President's Special Initiative on distance learning.

He said the District Directorate of Education was working hard to strengthen and enforce effective supervision of teachers and learning in the various schools.

Mr Osei-Agyepong said the Directorate was also arranging with the Ghana Education Service (GES) Inspectorate Division and the Curriculum Research and Development Division to organize in-service training for circuit supervisors and teachers in the district on the effective use of the syllabus by the end of January, next year.