PRESIDENT SUPPORTS 91 NEEDY BECE STUDENTS (PAGE 11, APRIL 21, 2010)

THE timely intervention by the President, Prof. J.E.A. Mills has made it possible for 91 final year junior high school (JHS) students, who were facing financial difficulties, to take part in the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
President Mills, provided GH¢300 for the feeding of the children who are from poor backgrounds for the five-day period of the examination. The amount was presented on behalf of the President by the District Chief Executive for Kwahu South, Mr Joseph Omari.
The students are from schools in very deprived areas of the Kwahu South District, namely Asubone-Odumase, Adawso Nkwanta, New Oworobong and Kwahu Amanfrom which had been provided with an examination centre at Kwahu Tafo in the Kwahu South District. They needed to be transported to the nearest examination centre at Kwahu Tafo, which is about 10 kilometres away.
Although their parents managed to pay for their transport to the centre and their teachers also secured a place in a school where they would sleep, their parents were not able to give them money for their upkeep.
Realising their unfortunate situation, the students were initially given GH¢300 and provisions with the hope that they would receive additional supplies to enable them to write the examinations.
Making the presentation to the students at the examination centre after writing their first paper, Mr Omari said poverty should not prevent the students from writing the examinations and that was why the President had to come to their aid.
He expressed the hope that the students would do well in the examinations to climb the academic ladder to become professionals and help develop the area.
The DCE later visited some of the examination centres to encourage the students and advised them, their teachers and invigilators not to engage in examination malpractices since that would mar the future of the students.
The students were grateful to President Mills for coming to their rescue and said they would do well in the examinations to justify the assistance given to them.
The Kwahu South District Director of Education, Mr Abraham Adjetey Sowa, who accompanied the DCE during the tour said in all 2,131 students were taking part in the examination in 11 centres and that everything was going on as planned.