Minister of Education orders GES to sanction headteacher who Squandered BECE candidates' registration fees

Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to sanction the headteacher of Buduatta DA Junior High School.

The headteacher, Richard Ahunyagbe reportedly failed to register some students for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

It was alleged that Mr Ahunyagbe embezzled the money meant for registration fees after some final-year students of Buduatta JHS in the Gomoa East District were left stranded at the start of the BECE on Monday.

The students, who could not partake in the exam were seen crying bitterly over the situation.

Some aggrieved parents who gathered at the school premises on Monday expressed their frustration about the development.

Following this, Dr Adutwum in an interview with Adom FM on ‘Dwaso Nsem’ cautioned that school heads culpable of various offences in the ongoing BECE will be sanctioned.

“WAEC exams is now free under Free Senior High School, BECE and WASSCE is free. I heard that a headmaster has taken money from some candidates. The headmaster might have extorted the parents of these people, I will meet WAEC on it.

“Also, the Ghana Education Service will deal with him, we will ask him why he took the money because we pay WAEC directly despite the economic challenges and nobody is supposed to pay. His matter is a very serious one,” the Education Minister said.

Commenting on the arrears owed West African Examination Council (WAEC), Dr Adutwum indicated that the Ministry has begun processing payment.

This comes after WAEC’s head of Public Relations, John Kapi disclosed that only GH₵10.5 million of the amount owed has been paid to conduct the examination.

Mr Kapi, however, indicated that the released amount will not be enough to pay for the marking of the exam scripts.

“For the past two years, we’ve experienced this. We’ve had to go back and forth. We are promised monies and then we have to wait for the monies to be brought. As I speak, we still have about GH₵9.9 million arrears for WASSCE 2022.

“Literally, it’s been hand-to-mouth. I mean as and when funds are brought in we look at areas that are urgent and then we settle those ones, and wait until we get another tranche of payment from the government.

“Again, for the WASSCE this year, we’ve been able to print, we are still in the process of printing some of the papers. We would be able to conduct the exam, but then the processes that will go on from there would require some further funds from the government,” he said.

On the back of this, the Education Minister assured WAEC of the Ministry’s commitment to settle the arrears.