2024 BECE Girl Defiled and Impregnated Expelled & Unregistered

Latest Ghana Education News: 14-Year-Old 2024 BECE Candidate Expelled and Unregistered After Being Defiled and Getting Pregnant

The Ghana Education News team has sighted with sadness the story of a 14-year-old doubles BECE candidate who has been sacked and not registered after becoming pregnant as a result of being defiled by a man alleged to be a 50-year-old Manson.

The story’s facts

2024 BECE Girl Defiled and Impregnated Expelled And Unregistered: Where did the sad incident occur?

The story about the 14-year-old girl, a BECE candidate, who was sacked and not registered after becoming pregnant due to defilement took place in the Greater Accra Region.

The specific location provided is Kasoa-Hideout, in the Ga South Municipality. According to our sources, the student was prior to the incident attending the Southlane Lake View School, located at Kasoa-Hideout.

The sacking of the student

When the school discovered the young girl had been put in a family way, they took drastic action by expelling the girl from the school. She is expected to be preparing for the 2024 BECE, scheduled for July 8–12, 2024.

The sacking of the student is an action that contradicts the policy of the Ghana Education Service on such matters. No public or private school in Ghana can sack or deny her access to education because she is pregnant.

This has been the policy of the GES since 2018, with support from UNICEF and other partners. The policy is famously known as the re-entry policy for pregnant girls.

The GES even launched an initiative called the Back to School (BTS) campaign just after COVID-19 to ensure that all female students who got pregnant while at home due to the lockdown are not denied education, for that matter.

The BECE registration issues

Due to the pregnancy, the school decided not to register the pregnant girl as a candidate for the 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

This was also in violation of the GES’s policy. An intervention by some authorities and persuasion from a friend to the grandmother of the child. Reports at our disposal show that the girl was registered during phase one of the BECE registration. What this means is that she will be writing the BECE with her colleagues in July this year.

Is she attending school to prepare for the BECE?

She was unable to join her colleagues in school to prepare for the upcoming BECE after she finally registered.

She has been home for not less than 60 days since the incident, as the school has refused to allow her entry into the school.

According to a report filed by the Ghanaian Times, the 14-year-old girl received a letter from the headmaster of the Southlane Lake View School, Mr. Shadrach Borketey. The letter detailed that the school was not capable of allowing her into its environment since it wanted to provide a conducive learning environment free of pregnant students.

“Therefore, permitting a pregnant student to continue her studies in the same classroom as other pupils would hamper teaching and learning,” the Ghanaian Times reported.

“As an educational institution, we are committed to providing an environment that fosters academic growth and personal development for all our students; however, your current situation requires us to take this action.”
“Please know that we do not take this decision lightly, but it is necessary for several reasons, including ensuring the safety and wellbeing of both you and the unborn child. We want to make sure you have the time and space needed to focus on your health and upcoming changes in your life,” the letter read.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the GES, Ms. Cassandra Twum-Ampofo, the girl must be allowed to attend school just like her colleagues until she gives birth, unless per the advice of doctors, she must stay out of school.

The issue was also discussed by the Ghanaian Times by the Ghanaian Times with the Girl Education Coordinator of the Ga South Municipality, Ms. Florence Antwi-Boasiako, in an interview conducted over the telephone.

Ms. Florence Antwi-Boasiako, reacting to the story, indicated that they were not aware of the sad development but was quick to add that her office was going to take immediate action.

“We are not aware that this has happened; however, I am going to the school right away to investigate the matter and ensure it is resolved,” she added.

Speaking to the Ghanaian Times on the issue, the worried grandmother of the student, Madam Veronica Numo, did indicate her frustration as a result of the pregnancy and the behaviour of the school. She added that as of Monday, April 22, 2024, the girl was still at home with her since the school had not written or communicated a change of decision to allow the student to join her colleague.

A contact made by the Ghanaian Times to reach out to the proprietress of the school did not yield any positive results, as she stood by her grounds that she was not going to accept the child in the school.

READ: School selection tips towards stress free school placement for parents and BECE candidates

What is the way forward?

Per the development, it looks as though the Ghana Education Service and its policy not to sack pregnant students are another policy just for the books.

Again, the GES has failed to instruct the school or management of the school to adhere to the policy. It will be prudent that the leadership of the GES send a delegation to the school to compel it to enrol the student, or the GES should get the student enroled in any of the public schools near the private school so that the student can be helped to prepare for the pending examination.