A total of 21 pregnant girls and 17 nursing mothers are among the thousands of candidates currently sitting for the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Upper East Region of Ghana.
The young mothers and expectant candidates are among 19,523 candidates sitting for the 2025 examination.
According to the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the region, the young mothers and expectant candidates are spread across multiple examination centers, with special provisions made to accommodate their unique circumstances.
The Upper East Regional Public Relations Officer of GES, Nathaniel N-yaaba, said these figures reflect only visible cases, indicating that the actual numbers could be higher.
He revealed that the total number of candidates comprises 8,842 males and 10,681 females.
He added that the exams are being conducted at 90 designated centres across the region.
N-yaaba assured that the GES is fully prepared to ensure a smooth and incident-free examination process.
He emphasised that all candidates, including pregnant girls and lactating mothers, will be supported to write the exams under dignified conditions.
The GES has also cautioned candidates against examination malpractice and urged parents to support their wards while avoiding crowding around examination centres.
A total of 603,328 candidates across the country are set to sit the 2025 BECE, scheduled from Wednesday, June 11, to Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
The 297,250 males and 306,078 females are the first batch of students seeking to benefit from the Free Senior High School (FSHS) Policy under the new government.
The number of candidates who registered for this year’s BECE for School Candidates (SC) makes up 5.99 per cent, an increment over the 2024 entry figure of 569,236.
With regard to the BECE for Private Candidates, a total of 1,661 candidates – 858 males and 803 females – were recorded.
This year’s figure is 19.49 per cent higher than the 2024 entry figure of 1,390.
The BECE for school candidates will be conducted at 2,237 examination centres across the country, while 15 centres in the regional capitals will be used for the BECE for Private Candidates.