The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, says investigations are ongoing to determine the fate of eight Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates who were prevented from writing their English Language paper after arriving late due to a road accident.
The affected students, along with two others, were reportedly involved in a traffic accident on Thursday, June 12, 2025, while en route to their examination centre at Tamale Senior High School (Tamasco). According to eyewitnesses, the tricycle transporting them collided with a motorcycle carrying a man and his wife.
Despite the circumstances, supervisors at the centre allegedly barred the students from entering the examination hall for arriving after the scheduled start time.
Addressing journalists at the Presidency during a mid-year review of education sector policies and programmes on Wednesday, June 18, Mr Iddrisu described the situation as deeply regrettable and stressed that the students’ future must not be jeopardised.
“There were a few incidents. In fact, there is a young girl, sickle cell, who got to the exam room, was rushed to the hospital, and sadly passed on. Another student, who got involved in an accident on the way to the centre, was denied the chance to write the paper due to lateness,” the Minister stated.
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He assured that the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES), and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) are currently reviewing the matter and will take appropriate remedial action.
“For us as a ministry and government, this should not truncate the career, development, and growth of the young person. If they lose this opportunity now, they could end up on the streets, and that is not desirable. We will look at it closely and ensure they are assured of a future,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu added that he has received the full list of the affected candidates and will is personally monitoring developments. The final decision; whether the students will be allowed to write a supplementary paper or offered an alternative; will be taken jointly by GES and WAEC.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Emmanuel Mensah
