21 Pregnant and 17 Lactating Girls Among BECE Candidates in the Upper East RegionNews – June 10, 2025As the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) begins today, concerning statistics have emerged from the Upper East Regional Office of the Ghana Education Directorate. Among the 10,681 female candidates set to take the exams, 21 are already heavily pregnant, and 17 are lactating mothers.The total number of registered candidates for this year’s BECE is 19,523, which includes 8,842 boys and 10,681 girls from both public and private basic schools. The exams will be held across 90 examination centers in the region from Wednesday, June 11, to Wednesday, June 18, 2025.While education stakeholders have praised the high female participation in this year’s BECE, the statistics regarding early pregnancies and teenage motherhood raise significant concerns about adolescent welfare and girl-child education in the area.The data indicates that approximately 1 in every 255 girls taking the BECE in the region is either pregnant or already a mother—an alarming figure according to education and health experts. The presence of these 38 girls—21 pregnant and 17 lactating—highlights a growing trend that challenges efforts to keep girls in school and to ensure they can complete their basic education without interruption.As the exams commence, education authorities have assured that all candidates—regardless of their circumstances—will receive the necessary support to take the exams under dignified and accommodating conditions. Speaking to BlueWaves Radio’s Fauzia Abito, Upper East Regional GES Public Relations Officer Mr. Nathaniel N. Yaaba stated that these statistics serve as a sobering reminder that, while access to education is improving, the safety, health, and futures of many young girls in the Upper East Region remain precarious.