One female candidate of the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Sissala East has given birth to a bouncing baby girl right after writing the first paper, English, on Monday.
The candidate (name withheld) got into labour immediately the examination ended and was rushed to the Tumu Hospital where she successfully delivered of a bouncing baby girl.
Mr Cornelius Longyintuo the Examinations Officer for the Sissala East Municipal, who narrated the incidence to the GNA said after the delivery, the adolescent mother was well and was allowed to continue with the rest of her exams the next day Tuesday 11th June 2019.
A visit by the GNA at 01920 hours Monday at the maternity ward of the hospital met the teen mother with her baby girl who health officials said were in stable conditions.
She indicated she was ready to write the next paper as soon as a caregiver offered to take care of her newborn baby.
The BECE examination in Sissala East was preceded with a pep talk by Member of Parliament of the area, Mr Ridwan Abass, and the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Karim Nanyua, to give the candidates some hope and courage.
Kanton Senior High School and Tumu Senior High Technical School are hosting the 2019 BECE examination comprising of 1,025 candidates with 488 as males and 537 as females.
Eight persons were absent from KANSEC and Tumu SECTECH, according to the Exams Officer.
Mr Abbas had addressed the students ahead of the examination start saying: “Looking at your faces, I know you are all prepared for the examination, it’s the beginning of your academic career”.
He reminded them of three things to expect; the teachers have taught them, leaders have provided what was needed and they as students were to write and come out with good results.
“I want you to assure us that this year; you will make 90% when the results are released. We have put in place a lot for the past years where we got a pass rate of 63% in 2017,” he added.
“This came down to 42% in 2018 unfortunately”. We want you to change this,” he stressed.
The MP earlier donated mathematical sets and pens to the candidates and assured them that, “Utilities and other costs are going to be taken care of as they stay in Tumu to write the exams”.
“You are not in Tumu to take data but use the one week to read and pass the exams,” the Municipal Chief Executive Nanyua also said during the same gathering.
In a related development, the District Chief Executive of Sissala West Mr Mohammed Bakor told the GNA that 1,147 students are sitting the exams at the Hilla Liman Senior High School.
He urged candidates to take the examination seriously as the Assembly has taken steps to feed everyone as they wrote the examinations.
He said everything was going on smoothly from what he was briefed from education officials.
