Every year several hundred thousand Junior High School students take the Basic Education Certificate Examination in Ghana. This highly competitive exam largely determines their educational future as it selects the students who qualify to attend Senior High School as well as which school they will attend. With such high stakes, the IDP Rising Schools Program is thrilled to highlight two schools that did particularly well on the exam.

Baah Memorial Community School has thrived in the IDP Rising Schools Program. The school has taken and repaid three loans and seen its enrollment double. To help her students study for the BECE, the school’s proprietor, Lily Baah, added a boarding facility to her school to enable students to better focus outside of the classroom as well. The results of her students’ hard work and support of Baah Memorial Community School paid off. Not only did 100% of the first class of JHS 3 pupils sitting for the exam pass, but the school was ranked 2nd out of 130 schools in the district.

Ultimate Prepartory was established in 2004 and since that time has been adding levels to the school and growing its enrollment. Last year it saw its first JHS 3 class sit for the BECE. The proprietor, David, is overjoyed to report a dramatic improvement over the past year from 80% to 100% of his students passing in addition to Ultimate Preparatory’s ranking changing from 40th out of 110 schools to 19th out of 120 schools in the district.

With this year’s BECE quickly approaching, the IDP Rising Schools Program is eager to witness continued success and improvement in Baah Memorial Community School, Ultimate Preparatory, and all of the schools participating in the IDP Rising Schools Program.