Wild bees on Thursday attacked some candidates sitting for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) at the School for the Deaf centre in Wa.
Two candidates, a male and a female, were injured in the process and were rushed to the Wa Municipal Hospital.
Though the male candidate was treated and discharged shortly to sit for the second paper, which was Career Technology, the female candidate was detained for a while, resulting in her inability to write that paper.
Mr. Donald Tuor, the Upper West Regional Controller of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), revealed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa.
He explained that the incident happened after the first paper, English Language, when some staff of the Northern Electricity Company (NEDCo) pruned a tree near the centre, which disrupted a beehive on the tree.
“We are considering pursuing a clemency case for her (the female candidate who could not write the exam) because it was not her fault for not writing the exam.
"That paper is a compulsory subject, not a core, so even without it, she can still be graded,” Mr. Tuor explained.
The WAEC Regional Controller also indicated that his office was seriously dealing with issues of examination malpractices at some centres in the region.
He said so far, one invigilator in the Wa Municipality had been sacked and another was on the run.
He said all reported cases of malpractice in the region would be investigated, and the perpetrators brought to book.
Mr. Tuor also warned that any teacher who would be apprehended facilitating or committing any form of examination malpractice would be reported to the Director General of the Ghana Education Service for the necessary punitive measures.
A total of 14,733 candidates, comprising 7,928 females and 6,805 males, from 620 schools and 169 private candidates had registered to write this year's BECE in the Upper West Region.
The exam was being conducted in 51 centres across the region with nine examination depots.
GNA