Girl branded a witch after becoming the first person to pass BECE with aggregate 30

A young student who achieved the first ever score of 30 on her Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) was referred to as a witch in her town.

Women’s rights advocate Margaret Brew-Ward revealed this strange event on Sunday’s episode of The Probe, a JoyNews program.



The Action Aid Campaign Manager claims that while other young students in urban areas strive for single-digit aggregates, it seems to be forbidden in some underprivileged areas.

Since she was the first individual to perform so well, the young kid who earned a 30 overall in her Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) was referred to as a witch in her neighborhood.

“Recently, there was a case we heard when we visited one of the communities that a girl who got around aggregate 30 in the BECE was [branded a witch].” Meanwhile, you know, in the cities, people are striving for aggregate 8, eight 1s and whatnot.

“Just because in that community, no girl had passed to go to the secondary school, so for a girl to do that, she [must have been a witch]” Mrs. Brew-Ward said, as quoted by myjoyonline.com.

She underlined the necessity of taking action to get rid of the canker.

The difficult problem of witchcraft and people being labeled and mistreated in some areas of the nation has been one that succeeding governments have not had the guts to address squarely.

Prof. John Azumah, executive director of The Sanneh Institute, claims that politicians have avoided addressing the issue over the years out of concern for their electoral prospects in the areas where such human rights crimes are taking place.

“It is not a vote winner… The politicians are tiptoeing around it,” he told the host of The Probe, Emefa Apawu.