The Computerized School Selection and Placement System (C.S.S.P.S.) Secretariat has actually got it wrong this year. Nothing went according to plan and their reputation is actually on the line. They have to do better next year to restore the faith parents and the general public have in them.

From my little research, W.A.E.C. released the B.E.C.E. results to the secretariat early in September and for them to take five weeks to complete the placement and another two weeks to place the result online for students to print out their forms is not good enough. They can actually do better and we hope all the mistakes they  committed this year would not be repeated next year.

How to print out Placements forms

You will need to purchase a scratch card from S.I.C, A.D.B. bank or from any post office in your neighbourhood. Go to www.myjhsresult.org and enter your index number, the serial and pin number on the scratch card and submit. Don’t forget to add ‘11’ at the end of your index number.

If you are lucky, your forms would be displaced without any sweat. If you are not so lucky, a lot of funny information like this would be shown;

“ Sorry the Index Number, Scratch Card Number/PIN Number does not exist. Please look carefully and retype. If you are very sure about it, please send email to info@csspsghana.org.”

I know you are sure about the information you submitted, the fault is not from the scratch card, its the system which is not working properly. Keep on trying until your form is shown. Don’t rush to buy a new card. I am sure they are still working on the site and probably it is jammed up. It wasn’t designed for over 200,000 candidates to visit the site at once. Just relax and try at dawn or late in the night.

Credibility of the C.S.S.P.S.

On the 10th of this month, a Non Governmental Organization, Challenging Heights petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (C.H.R.A.J), to investigate officials of the Computer Schools Selection and Placement System (C.S.S.P.S.) as it alleges of corruption in the placement process.

According to Challenging heights, it claimed it had substantial evidence to prove that officers in charge of the C.S.S.P.S. are illegally collecting monies, in order to place students in some particular Senior high schools where they would otherwise not have been placed. It also alleged that some of the officers are removing duly merited and placed candidates from their chosen schools, and placing students whose parents have paid bribes in their places.

What was their main point in this allegation, a candidate with aggregate 08 had been placed in Wesley Girls High School. But I asked my self whether it was possible.

Examine this scenario

Candidate A had aggregate 1 in BDT, GA, French, RME, Social Studies and English and aggregate 2 in Mathematics and Int. Science whilst Candidate B had aggregate 1 in Mathematics, English, Int. Science and Social Studies and also had aggregate 2 in BDT, GA, French and RME. Even though candidate A had aggregate 06 and Candidate B had 08, it is very likely Candidate B would have a higher raw score than candidate A. Reason, Candidate B had aggregate 1 in the four compulsory core subjects.

If Challenging Heights want to take this up, they should rather use the raw score of the candidates to build their case rather than the grades. No human institution is perfect. I still believe the computerized school selection and placement system is one of the best thing that happened in Ghana Education Service over the past seven years.

To restore their credibility which has been greatly damaged  because of this accusation, I would advice the C.S.S.P.S. secretariat to make the placement of candidates as transparent as possible. Placements of candidates can actually be done live on air to diffuse any doubt in the mind of parents and the general public about any malfeasance in the secretariat.

Like the National Communication Authority, the Government would have to establish an independent organization which would scrutinize and vet the algorithm that is used for the placement to ensure no strange code is inserted anywhere in it to favour any candidate.

The concept of candidates printing their placement forms online needs to be reviewed. Previously, their placement forms was sent to their respective Junior Secondary Schools,  but presently, parents spend a lot of money to check grades on the phone and also buy cards before they can print out their forms. Its making life difficult for candidates in the rural areas.

There are workers who leave an organization and nobody misses their absence. And there are those who leave, and a big vacuum is felt. The latter is the case of Mr. Kirk Kuuku Otoo, the all round teacher at Mayflower International School, who is leaving us to undertake his National Service with USAID in Ghana.

Sir Kirk, as he is affectionately called, was employed at Mayflower International School in September 2007 after completing his Senior Secondary School at St. Johns Secondary School, Sekondi. He was a science student who was employed to teach RME and Biology.  But in the course of time, Sir Kirk taught several subjects, including Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and RME, at the JHS level.

After he gained admission to University of Ghana, Legon, Sir Kirk opted to handle the class on a part time basis, and this is what he has done for the past four years.

Sir Kirk is very good at what he does. In the last Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), 19 out of 24 of his students had aggregate one in RME and all his students since 2007 made aggregate one in Integrated Science.

On two different occasions, he was the MC during Mayflower International Schools’ Speech and Prize Giving Day.  Sir Kirk’s commitment to his work is something I can vouch for, and always admired his his respect for time.

His last Form three class could not hide their tears when they were informed that Sir Kirk was departing for his National service in one of their Sunday  after church class.

As Headmaster, I am personally grateful for the effort of this noble teacher in the history of Mayflower International School. This is one person I am not going to ever forget. I wish Sir Kirk could stay to complete the academic year, but I also understand his desire to continue to pursue greater personal and professional development goals. I just pray whoever takes his place would measure up to the task.

Sir Kirk, good luck and all the best in all your endeavors.

You can imagine the joy and happiness on the face of my administrator one Monday morning when he told me good fortune has been bestowed on his family. Why are you so happy, i asked?

Massa, nobody could sleep in the family yesterday night, he told me. ‘Have you won the $100,000.00 jackpot MOBI game’, i asked again, more than that, my daughter has won a US  lottery Visa, he proclaimed.

We shouted and screamed in the office, what is more better than obtaining a US Green Card on a silver plate. A whole opportunity would be created with this card, i was happy for my friend. After the euphoria had died down, i decided to probe further the nature of the US Visa Lottery his daughter had won.

Fake Websites

I asked my friend whether he could give me the website of the site that sent the information that her daughter had won, he couldn’t. I however insisted that i needed to verify that the information is coming from the US department of state. When the printed form however arrived, my looks changed. When my friend saw my looks, he asked “  is the  US Visa lottery not authentic” these ‘419  people, the moment they told me to send the processing fee to someone in the UK, i smelled  a rat.

There are 1001 websites out there claiming to be the official website for the US Department of State using intelligent ways to dupe innocent people of their hard earned cash.

The authentic website for the Diversity Visa Lottery is  https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/application.aspx,  www.dvlottery.state.gov. Any other website are specifically designed to dupe you. Unfortunately, when i googled US Diversity lottery, apart from the first two which are authentic, the rest were all fake.

www.usdvlotteryportal.com

www.dvlotteryapply.com/2013DV/2013-programe.php

www.dvlotteryhelp.com

www.americangreencard.com/news.htm

www.usagreencardlottery.org

www.green-card.com.au

Any site that would ask you for a processing fee to process your application is not authentic. Processing is free. If you win the Diversity Visa Lottery, then all payment must be made to the US embassy, if you are asked to send dollars through Western Union to a white lady in UK, then know that it is advanced 419. They will chop your dollar free.

Who Qualifies for the US Diversity Lottery Visa

A friend told me that the US Diversity lottery is a complete brain drain to a nation and I honestly agree with him. Without a Senior High School Certificate, one cannot even qualify for the lottery. If you are a degree holder, your chances of winning is very high. Nurses and teachers i learnt are in hot demand. If all these workers that the Government trains over the years leaves in the name of Visa lottery, what would happen to our health sector? Last week I learnt Tema General Hospital were returning pregnant women because doctors and nurses that were to attend to them were not available.

How to Apply

If you are single and just want to go and hassle in the US, don’t entangle yourself with wives and children. Go single and if things stabilizes, you can come back and pick others. But if you are a business man and you don’t intend to stay there for long, then it is advisable to go with your wife or marry and go with your wife. Your wife can stay over whilst you return to do your business. If you don’t have a wife over there, then you might loose your papers if you stay out of the US for more than six months.

Get a good digital picture and ensure everything is up to specification before you upload.

To all those you want the magic green card, all the best.

Mayflower Students continue to excel in the B.E.C.E. exams for the past four years. We have produced single digits as our worst aggregate over the past three years.

In 2007, our worst  aggregate was 08

In 2008, our worst  aggregate was 06

In 2009, our worst aggregate was 08

And in 2010, our worst aggregate was 09.

In general, performance in most of the schools in Tema was not very encouraging. Thankfully to God, our students did their best. Below is the details of the 2010 B.E.C.E results

Total Number of Candidates Presented           17

School Placements into the various secondary schools has been encouraging. Visit mayflower.edu.gh/alumni to see which schools our graduands have made since 2006.

The final time table for the 2010 b.e.c.e has been released by W.A.E.C  and  from previous speculations, only seven subjects would be written. However, candidates would still use one week to write the 2010 b.e.c.e examinations.

Below is the final time table for the 2010 B.E.C.E

I am wishing all candidates all the best of luck.

WARNING: SINCE POSTING THESE _SAMPLE_ QUESTIONS, MANY PEOPLE HAVE WRITTEN TO ME AND LEFT COMMENTS ON THIS PAGE THANKING ME FOR “THE APO”. SORRY TO DISAPPOINT YOU, BUT AS THE TITLE CLEARLY SAYS, THESE ARE JUST  SAMPLE QUESTIONS MEANT TO SHOW STUDENTS THE FORMAT OF B.E.C.E QUESTIONS. IF YOU WANT TO PASS YOUR EXAMS, JUST GO PICK YOUR BOOKS AND STUDY, AND DON’T FORGET TO PRAY. THAT’S THE ONLY SURE AND ETHICAL WAY TO SUCCEED IN YOUR EXAMS AND IN LIFE.

Something seem very clear about the  2010 B.E.C.E. Students who cannot think in the examination room will not perform very well. Sample questions that were received from W.A.E.C  shows that a lot of thinking would be required by students who wants to excel. Below is  sample mathematics questions for 2010 B.E.C.E.

1.  How many subsets has the set P = ( –1, 0, 2)?

A.   8       B.     6        C.     4         D.   3

2.  A man spends 1/3 of his salary on his salary on his children’s education and 2/5 of the remainder on accommodation. What fraction of the salary is left?    A.   5/9    B.    1/8     C.  2/5    D.    3/5

3.   Evaluate a/b, if a = 1/2  and  b = 1/4.

A.  4            B.   3         C.     2         D.   1

4.  Nana Yaa receives 20% commission in her weekly sales. In a week if she receives GH800.00 as a commission, calculate her total sales for the week.     A.   GH1,200.00       B.   GH2,400.00          C.    GH3,200.00       D.     GH4,000.00

5.   A basket contains 15 oranges and 25 mangoes. What is the probability of selecting a mango from the basket?

A.  1/15              B.    1/25                C.     3/8            D.    5/8

6.   Multiply 0.0012  x  0.02 leaving the answer in standard form

A.  2.4 x  10^5      B.    2.4  x  10^4     C.   2.4  x  10^-4     D.   2.4  x  10^-5

7.    Write the bearing S40oE as a three figure bearing

A.   140o           B.    040o            C.   220o           D.   320o

8.   If vector b =    ( 2 )   and  2a – b = ( 6  ),  find the vector a

( 3  )                       ( 7 )

A.   4                 B.      4                  C.         -4               D.         8

5                          4                               5                            10

9.   What is the next term of the sequence    1,  2,  3, 5, 8  …….?

A.   10           B.      11             C.   12               D.   13

10.    The scale of a map is 1: 10000.  The distance between two points on the map is 4cm. What is the actual distance between the points?

A.   4m          B.    40m         C.    400m        D.         4000m

11. Evaluate A. 0.259 B. 2.590 C. 25, 900 D. 259,000

12. Express 1.25 as a mixed fraction in its lowest term A. B. C. D.

13. The total number of match sticks in 6 match boxes was 270. Find the total number of sticks in 20 similar boxes.
A. 710 B. 800 C. 810 D. 900

14. A car travels at an average speed of 45 km per hour. What distance does it cover in 12 hours.

A. 450km B. 480km C. 500km D. 450km

15. Calculate the simple interest on GH130,000.00 for 2 1/2years at 12% per annum. A. GH78,000.00 B. GH39,000.00 C. GH36,000.00 D. GH31,200.00

16. Express 2/5 as a percentage A. 20% B. 25% C. 40% D. 80%

17. Kwame gets a commission of 20% on bread sold. In one week, Kwame’s commission was GH45.000.00. How much bread did he sell during that week? A. GH205,000.00 B. GH220,000.00 C. GH225.000.00 D. GH235,000.00

18.   Write 83000 in standard form.

A. 8.3 x 10^-4 B. 8.3×10^-3 C. 8.3 x 10³ D. 8.3xl0⁴

Use the information to answer questions 19 and 20

The following are the marks obtained by pupils in a test: 2, 3, 5, 2, 3, 4, 2, 3, 5, 3.

19.   What is the mode? A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5

20.  Calculate the mean. A. 3.0 B. 3.2 C. 4.0 D. 4.2

SECTION  B

1a.     Of the 53 pupils of Kofikrom Junior High School, 36 take tea, 18 take coffee and 10 take neither tea nor coffee.

i.    Draw a Venn diagram to illustrate this information

ii.   Using your diagram, determine the number that takes both tea and coffee.

b.   Three church bells toll at intervals of 5, 12 and 15 minutes respectively. If they toll together at 12.00noon on a given day, when next will they toll together?

c.   Copy and complete the magic square below so that the sum along the rows, columns and diagonal are the same equal to 15

4
	5	7

2a        Find the area of the shaded portion

b. Simplify and leave your answer in standard form

c.  The ratio of the sheep to goats on a farm is 4: 7. If there are 1,428 sheep, find how many goats are on the farm.

3a

The table below shows the scores of some students in an examination

From the table, find:

i. How many students wrote the examination

ii. The modal score

iii. The number of students who scored 7 or more

iv. The mean score correct to one decimal place.

4a         Using a ruler and of compasses only, construct a triangle ABC and /AB/= 6cm, /AC/= 8cm and angle BAC= 30^o. Construct the bisector of angle ACB to meet the line AB at D.

i. Measure /AD/ and /BD/ ii. Write down the ratio /AD/ : /BD/

b. A rectangular water tank has length 80cm, width 40cm and height 50cm. Find,

i. Find the total surface area of the tank when closed

ii. The volume of the tank

iii. The height of the water in the tank, if the tank contains 80,000cm³ of water.

b.      Solve 3x – 9 12(x – 3) and Illustrate your answer on a number line

Four months to the time Junior High School three (J.H.S. 3) candidates are to write their Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E), majority of the students cannot tell for sure which subjects they will write in the 2010 B.E.C.E. which I think is most unfortunate.

When the registration process started in November 2009, officials from W.A.E.C informed proprietors and headmasters of private schools in a meeting that five core subjects {Mathematics, English Language, Integrated Science, I.C.T and Social Studies } would be written and the optional subjects being (BD T, French and Ga). There was uproar during the meeting because of the I.C.T. Most private schools did not have adequate structures and facilities in place to adequately prepare their pupils. I wondered how the public schools would manage to train their pupils to be examinable in five months knowing that majority don’t even have light in their schools. There was total chaos.

Two weeks later after a lot of complaints from parents and teachers in the media about the introduction of I.C.T as a core subject, G.E.S hinted that I.C.T would be replaced by Religious and Moral Studies (RME), thinking that would calm down tempers, it made matter worse.

Sending conflicting signals about the examinable subjects in this year’s B.E.C.E is not the best. The 2010 B.EC.E. would commence on the 19th of April, 2010. Ghana Education Service must come out clear on what subjects the present crops of form three’s are writing. The I.C.T or R.M.E confusion must be sorted out early before things get out of hand.

G.E.S and W.A.E.C must ensure all policies regarding the Junior High School and Senior High School are made known early to all stakeholders to avoid such confusion in future. Presently, some heads of institution cannot tell convincingly whether the present crop of form ones would spend three years or four years in school, I would advise that in order not to be caught with their pants down like some private schools presently, they should prepare their students for three years.

DATE FIRST PAPER SECOND PAPER
19TH APRIL ENGLISH LANGUAGE / R.M.E/I.C.T
20TH APRIL INT. SCIENCE / SOCIAL STUDIES
21ST APRIL MATHEMATICS / BD&T
22ND APRIL FRENCH / GA

With the release of the 2009 B.E.C.E results, I am sure graduands all over the country are waiting anxiously to know which school they have been placed into.

The management of the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) are doing everything possible to eliminate all errors to ensure that candidates are placed into the right senior high schools according to merit. 

The raw scores of candidates who wrote the 2009 BECE have been sent to the CSSPS and from information received so far, candidates would know latest by the end of first week in September the school they have been placed into by texting their index number to some short codes which would be made known soon.

In general, the results of the 2009 BECE was not very encouraging as compared to the 2008 BECE results so candidates with aggregate 7 and 8 should not worry much since it is highly probable that they can get placed into their first choice senior high schools.

What we have to worry over however is the categorization of Senior High Schools and the high number of candidates writing the exams. Ministry of education would have to put systems in place to ensure that only qualified form three students write the next BECE. If over 500,000 students wrote the 2009 BECE, the big question is; would all this students get Senior High Schools to attend?

To the 2009 BECE candidates, I pray you get placed into your respective first choice senior high schools.