NEWS ITEM... 182,000 Failed BECE Candidates Is A - TopicsExpress

NEWS ITEM... 182,000 Failed BECE Candidates Is A National Security Threat. A security analyst, Emmanuel Sowatey has raised concerns about the future of some 182,000 Junior High School (JHS) graduates who could not get placement into second cycle institutions. According to him, their inability to gain admission into any Senior High School (SHS), technical or vocational institutions constitutes a national security threat. 182,000 candidates who sat for the 2013 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) were not placed in any SHS by the computerized school selection system. This is because they failed in at least one of the core subjects - Mathematics, English language, Social Studies, and Integrated Science. But speaking to Citi News, Emmanuel Sowatey raised red flags about the mode of selection and called for reforms in the educational sector. He said the current situation if allowed to persist, might compromise Ghana’s security in years to come. He explained that denying children access to education just because they failed one or two subjects, make them vulnerable to deviants who might use them to foment trouble in society. “When you have an army of youth who are school drops-outs and do not have alternative way of getting jobs, they are more vulnerable to be used,” he added. Emmanuel Sowatey said everyone is at risk hence all civil society groups, pastors, the media and well meaning Ghanaians must add their voices to secure hope for Ghana’s future generation.