BECE Logistics Delays in Rural Areas Are Common – Kofi Asare Explains Challenges

The Executive Secretary of Ghana Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has downplayed concerns over delays in the distribution of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) materials in some parts of the country, describing them as logistical challenges rather than irregularities.

Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Monday, May 4, he explained that such delays are common in hard-to-reach areas due to transportation and connectivity challenges, particularly in circuit-based examination centres.

He noted that in several rural communities, long distances between district capitals and examination centres can sometimes affect the timely delivery of materials.

“That’s not unusual, especially in some parts of the country where connectivity is not easy… the distance from Accra to metro towns and circuit centres is quite a distance,” he said.

His comments come after delays were recorded in the delivery of BECE materials at the Boako M/A Basic School examination centre in the Western North Region, where question papers had still not arrived as of 9:15 a.m. on the examination day.

Despite the incident, Kofi Asare maintained that such challenges do not undermine the credibility or integrity of the examination process, stressing that they reflect infrastructural and logistical constraints rather than systemic failures.

He further expressed optimism that improvements in transport systems and coordination, supported by technology, would help reduce such delays in future examinations.

The Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to review how examination papers are transported and delivered to centres across the country.

Mr Iddrisu expressed concern about the situation and said the system needs urgent attention.

“WAEC has to change the way they do things. Ordinarily, it should have been 15 minutes into the exams. Part of your training was that you should’ve been seated at 8:30, start the exams at 9:00, but I see answer sheets without question papers. It’s now on its way,” the Minister lamented.

He said that the delays undermine the smooth conduct of examinations and called for reforms in how exam materials are handled and distributed.