BECE 2025: Bees Attack Candidates at Wa School for the Deaf, 1 Candidate Misses Paper

• Bees attacked candidates writing the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) at the Wa School for the Deaf centre
• The bee attack on June 13, 2025 left two students injured and disrupted the examination process
• The students were rushed to the Wa Municipal Hospital for treatment with one missing a subsequent paper

A swarm of wild bees attacked candidates writing the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) at the Wa School for the Deaf centre on June 13.

This attack left two students injured and disrupted the exam sitting.

GNA reported that the students were rushed to the Wa Municipal Hospital for treatment.

One of the injured students, a girl, ended up missing the exam.

The incident occurred shortly after the English-language paper when staff from the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) pruned a tree near the examination centre, disturbing a beehive.

Upper West Regional Controller of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Donald Tuor, said efforts are underway to seek clemency for the female candidate who missed the paper.

“We are considering pursuing a clemency case for her because it was not her fault. Though the subject is compulsory, it is not a core subject, so she can still be graded."

In the Upper West Region, 14,733 candidates; 7,928 females and 6,805 males from 620 schools, along with 169 private candidates, are registered for the exam.

The exams are being conducted in 51 centres, with support from nine examination depots.

This year's BECE commenced on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, and is expected to end on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

Over 600,000 Ghanaian basic school pupils are taking the exam.

BECE candidates involved in road crash

The ongoing BECE has been marred by a number of incidents so far.

For example, on June 13, five BECE candidates were injured in a traffic accident involving a motorbike while buying food by the roadside in the Western Region.

The students reportedly sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to the Wassa Attiku Christian Hospital.

Reports suggest that three of the students are currently in critical condition, with one sustaining severe dental injuries, while another sustained a serious leg injury. The rider was also hospitalised.

Pregnant BECE candidate delivers baby boy

A girl writing the 2025 BECE delivered a baby boy on June 11, 2025, at the Asenua Presbyterian JHS Examination Centre in Mamponteng, Ashanti Region.

She went into labour while being escorted to the washroom by a policewoman, who quickly raised an alarm after recognising the signs of distress.

The candidate was moved to the headmaster’s office, where she successfully gave birth with assistance from school staff and emergency services.

Ghana Education Service extends school selection deadline

YEN.com.gh reported that the Ghana Education Service extended the deadline for the 2025 school selection process to June 25, 2025.

The extension is to account for the integration of private Senior High Schools (SHSs) into the selection system.

This adjustment follows the government’s policy shift to include private SHSs in the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme from the 2026/2027 academic year.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh