The 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Upper East Region of Ghana has assumed a very emotional twist with 21 pregnant school girls and 17 lactating mothers writing their final exams alongside more than 19,000 other candidates.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) made this revelation and indicated that it was in full support of these young mothers and pregnant students.
Addressing the media, Nathaniel N-yaaba, the GES Public Relations Officer in the region, corroborated the figures, saying that the real numbers could be even bigger, because some of the pregnancies might not be noticeable yet.
“Others could be still in the early stages of pregnancy,” he iterated.
Meanwhile, N-yaaba said some of these cases might just be discovered in the process of monitoring.
These young women have resolve in their hearts not to allow motherhood or pregnancy to hinder their education despite the hardships they go through.
This represents 19,523 candidates out of which they are writing the BECE in 90 centres in the region, which comprises 744 schools. Among the candidates are 13 hearing-impaired students of the Gbeogo School for the Deaf in Talensi.
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The GES has pledged to offer a secure and conducive environment to all applicants, especially those who are in a vulnerable state. “We are assured of a hitch-free and peaceful exams. There will be no trouble,” N-yaaba promised.
Among the most touching moments was in the Ashanti Region, where a pregnant candidate started labour at one of the exam centres in Mamponteng.
The delivery of a baby boy took place with the assistance of a policewoman and teachers, and the girl was transported to a hospital after childbirth.
Even though the participation of pregnant school girls and lactating mothers has served as a motivation to many, it has also rekindled the issue of teenage pregnancy and the Girl-child education in Ghana.
The strength of these young mothers has been hailed by many observers who however have urged that more education and support systems be put in place to avoid repeating such predicaments in future.
There was also a stern warning against examination malpractice by GES officials and parents were urged to assist their children at home and not to crowd examination centres.
