Prison Inmates Write Bece

Fourteen inmates from the Borstal Institute in Accra are among 32,605 pupils currently sitting this year�s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Greater Accra Region. The all-boys inmates are among candidates writing their papers at the Accra Girls Senior High School center which is hosting 478 candidates from 16 schools. Nationwide, some 370,000 final year Junior High School candidates are writing the examination which will last approximately one week. One inmate told Joy News Television reporter, Eric Curtis Howard he entered the Borstal Institute as a result of theft and has since learnt that education was his only hope to a brighter future, hence his decision to write the examination. At the Flagstaff House Basic School Center, near the 37 Military Hospital, 321 candidates are writing their papers. A total of 248 candidates from seven schools are sitting the examinations at the St. Mary�s Basic School Centre at Korle Bu whilst the Korle Gonno Basic School Centre at Mamprobi is playing host to 207 candidates from 6 schools. Minister of Education, Lee Ocran who toured some examination centers later told reporters government is seeking to reverse the negative trend of failures in the BECE. He was hopeful majority of successful candidates would gain admission to senior high schools.