Josiah
Thirty-four prisoners are participating in this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), a crucial milestone in Ghana’s education system that marks the transition from Junior High Schools to Senior High Schools and Technical Institutions.
The candidates, all males, include 27 juveniles from the Senior Correctional Centre (SCC), 5 from Nsawam Maximum Security Prison, and 2 from Sunyani Central Prison.
In an interview, Greater Accra Regional Public Relations Officer, DSP Loretta Valentina Amoah, mentioned that the inmates have been thoroughly prepared by qualified teachers from the service and the Ghana Education Service. She expressed optimism that the inmates would excel in all subjects and achieve outstanding results.
DSP Valentina Amoah also highlighted challenges such as inadequate teaching and learning materials, which impede the inmates’ preparation process. She urged the public to support the inmates, especially the juveniles, by donating textbooks and past questions to enhance their studies and make learning more enjoyable.
Inmates who were interviewed expressed confidence that this year’s BECE would be one of the best, thanks to their thorough preparation by the teachers. They commended the teachers for their dedication and promised to make them proud.
The Ghana Prisons Service, in its quest to deliver on its reformation and rehabilitation mandate, introduced formal education to inmates on a pilot basis at the Senior Correctional Centre in 2007 and later extended it to other prisons. This initiative aims to help inmates acquire basic literacy skills and certification to facilitate their smooth reintegration into society.
The first batch, consisting of 21 juveniles and young offenders, sat for the BECE in 2009 and achieved a 100% pass rate, a record that has been consistently maintained. Last year, 51 prisoners across the country sat for the BECE and also recorded a 100% pass rate.
Source:Omanghana.com
