In Accra, the end of the examination before noon at many of the centres was marked with jubilation, dancing and expression of praises to God by the candidates for a successful examination and completion of their basic level education.

While some candidates sprinkled talcum powder on their friends as a sign of victory, others hugged each other, with another group of candidates also throwing away their maths sets and books.

At the Victory Presbyterian Church School at Fafraha in the Adentan Municipality, Severious Kale-Dery reports that even though the supervisors and invigilators asked the candidates to avoid excessive jubilation after they finished writing the final paper, some candidates ignored the advice and went “wild.”

Some of the candidates were seen dancing, cheering one another on and taking selfies with mobile phones, while others gathered in groups sharing their observations of the examination.

Most candidates the Daily Graphic spoke to said they were excited because the examination was within their capability and they were sure that they would come out with flying colours.

They expressed gratitude to God for seeing them successfully through the basic level of education.

Makafui Adzo Aklorbortu reports from the St Kizito Catholic School at Nima in Accra, that immediately the candidates who were writing the final paper were asked to stop work, there were shouts of jubilation as the students went into a frenzy, jumping and hugging one another for having successfully completed school.

Some students were seen using markers to write their names and those of their mates on one another’s uniforms.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, a few minutes after the paper, Matilda Baffour expressed her joy and gratitude to God for seeing her through the examination successfully.

She expressed the hope of coming out with very good results because she had prepared very well for the BECE.

Another candidate from the Nima ‘2’ Basic School, Master Frederick Tetteh, expressed the hope that he would come out with flying colours in spite of some difficulties he faced in the Mathematics and Science papers.

The atmosphere at the Ngleshie Amanfro Senior High School at Kasoa in the Central Region, which had four centres, was quiet when the Daily Graphic arrived about 15 minutes to the end of the last paper, reports Issah Mohammed.

However, the centre came alive immediately the examination ended. Some of the granduates exchanged hugs while others congratulated one another.

Students from Two Roses International School gathered under a tree and prayed for the successful completion of the exam.

In other scenarios, students moved desks from the examination rooms to various classrooms in the school.

A house nearby hosted some students to a meal of fufu amid singing and dancing.

In an interview with the Dispatcher of the four centres, Mr Michael Asamoah, who was also the exam supervisor, he said the examination had passed off successfully since no incident of examination malpractice was recorded.

He suggested, however, that first time invigilators, being inexperienced, needed to be given further training to make them more efficient.

In a related development, Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori reports that a Mercedes Benz bus, with registration number AS 4559 U, ran into eight students from the Great El-Shadai School in the Ga Central Municipality, who were on their way to write their last paper.

The students and a teacher are said to have been waiting at the Mango Ase Bus Stop, on the Awoshie-Mallam highway, to board a commercial vehicle to the Odorgonor Model School which was their examination centre when the incident occurred.

Although no deaths were recorded, three of the students whose names were given as Magnus Boateng, Janice Dodoo and Emmanuel Boamah Boateng, are reported to have sustained severe injuries and could, therefore, not write the paper.

The remaining five students suffered minor injuries and were treated at the Ga South Municipal Hospital popularly called “Akawe.”

They were later discharged and were, therefore, able to write the last paper in the examination. The teacher, meanwhile escaped unhurt.

The accident was reported to the Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ms Elizabeth Sackey, who toured the examination centre in Accra yesterday.

Eyewitness account

A teacher from the school, Mr Edem Ayitey, who was at the scene of the accident, said it was the usual practice for the candidates from the school to gather at Mango Ase to pick public transport to the examination centre, which was about five minutes drive away.

He said but for the intervention of a police patrol team, the driver would have been lynched by angry passers-by and early morning commuters.

Ms Elizabeth Sackey, for her part, said the Regional Coordinating Council would meet to discuss challenges candidates faced during the BECE examination periods to find ways of addressing them.

When the teacher involved in the incident, Mr Daniel Owusu, was contacted by the Daily Graphic, he said he only saw the bus conductor jump out of the vehicle and did not know what happened to the driver, “because I was attending to the children.”

"Five of the children were treated at the ‘Akawe’ hospital and discharged, while two have been transferred to the Ridge Hospital. Another is responding to treatment at ‘Akawe’," he added..