The Asante Akyem Central District Education Directorate in the Ashanti region says steps are being taken to stop junior high school students yet to go to form 3 from sitting the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The decision, according to the directorate, is to help the students have adequate preparation for senior high school education.

“The child has to pass through the educational ladder to JHS 3. So if you register a child of JHS 1 or 2, he or she misses the chance to acquire the knowledge of the missed classes. This will affect the student, so the parents should be advised to desist from that,” he stated.

The Deputy Director in Charge of Human Resources at the Konongo Education Office, Francis Owusu, said public school heads will be punished if they are found guilty of this act.

“The director will meet with all the public school heads to warn them about this practice. Anyone who does that will be penalized,” he added.

He spoke at the graduation ceremony of Holy Virgin Preparatory School at Konongo.

The proprietor of the school, Francis Adu Aboagye, urged parents to pay special attention to the multiple talents of their wards.

The graduation ceremony saw performances from the students in inging, dancing, and poetry.

“We do this every year to unearth the talents of our students to pursue their dreams. So, we normally invite the parents to watch their performances. This will help the parents appreciate their children's other skills apart from academics,” he noted.