Jumapo, April 24, GNA- The New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Nana Adjei Boateng, has expressed concern about the number of absentees recorded at the start of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), in the municipality.

He has therefore directed the officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the municipality to contact the various heads of schools whose candidates were absent to establish the reasons and take appropriate measures to curb such occurrence in future.

The MCE made the observation after touring the examination centres in the Municipality on Monday. In all, about 21 pupils were reported absent at the eight centres visited.

At the Jumapo L/A Centre for instance, two of the candidates were deceased while one candidate at the SDA Training College Centre at Asokore, was said to been pregnant.

Accompanied by the Municipal Director of Education, Ms Felicia Duku and the Eastern Regional Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr Gyaba Mensah, Nana Adjei Boateng however, expressed satisfaction at the conduct of the examinations. In all 2,981 candidates, made up of 1,497 boys and 1,484 girls and 8 deaf and dumb students were taking part in the examination in the municipality.

The candidates were from 53 public schools and 15 private schools.