Examinations show high attendance rates

By Frances Black

12th April signalled the main examinations for young students to pass from junior high school to senior high school. 

A number of prominent figures made formal inspections of four schools, including Ebo Barton Odro, the MP for Cape Coast, Deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and the Mayor of Cape Coast, Nana Kwamena Nyimfa. A total number of 2,803 candidates are taking the examinations today in Cape Coast, which will determine whether they can rise to the next level of formal education.

             

The main role of the visits was to inspect the schools, speak to, encourage and inspire the candidates where possible, and to gain a perspective on the attendance and organisation of the examinations.

            

Encouragingly there were few absentees in each school, with MFantsipim at 440 candidates and St. Augustine’s College at 407, having no absentees, Holy Child School missing only 4 candidates out of its total 485, and Adisadel College also missing 4 out of 517 candidates this time. These figures give an extremely promising and positive image of the examinations, showing nearly full attendance from the main schools of Cape Coast, which demonstrates the commitment, determination and hard-work of many of the students. This is especially poignant as all four schools were hosting the examinations for a number of schools in the area, with Holy Child School opening its doors to 14 different schools, and St Augustine’s College to 9 schools in total. 

             

Also of significance was the presence of 34 deaf and 4 blind candidates from Cape Coast School for the Blind among the students taking their exams at Holy Child School, which is in an example of the progress and opportunities being supplied for those with disabilities.

            

Those inspecting channelled their main focus into giving motivational words of advice to the students who were about to sit their examinations. They were encouraged to ‘forget the negative habits’ and keep on ‘reading, reading, reading’. As well as this, Nyimfa emphasised the importance of reading questions at least three times to fully grasp and understand the question, and to spot the tricks intended catch out students.

            

Ebo Barton Odro explained to many of the students that this was a ‘defining moment for you […] your teachers love you so much’, appealing to the candidates to not disappoint their teachers. He also discouraged the students from becoming too overwhelmed or stressed, saying: ‘Get relaxed and remember all that you have been told’. However his most poignant and direct words of advice were to greatly deter students from giving into the temptations of cheating, and to instead complete their exams with honesty.

             

Each speaker wished the candidates the best of luck, and congratulated them for coming this far already. The importance of education in success was deeply highlighted, and it was made clear to the candidates that this day was an incredibly important one in shaping the direction and outcome of their futures. We wish all of the candidates the best of luck.