To the Memory of B.E.C.E

Until I entered KNUST, my favourite school life was during Junior High School. I feel most blessed during my tertiary education but it's my JHS I still recall with fondness.
What made me enjoy JHS was the education aspect ( and yes, I know we all went to JHS to be educated) But think about it, how many did come for education alone? We were not there to be just "schooled" . We got a lot of that back home. We came as well for the making of friends, for spiritual growth and to see the world we didn't know through the foolish eyes of these friends. Well, some came for friends that were more than "friends" but those attachments didn't last for a year! Oh the things we did and saw but that's story for another article.

Btw, with regard to what makes my JHS times the best, I was part of a year group that had a bunch of ambitious kids. We knew what the word COMPETITION meant and lived it fully. The whole year group was divided into A and B so from the onset we had Form 1A and Form 1B. From the primary school we heard of a certain teacher (Miss H) who was beautiful, young and with a heart so "cold". She spared not the lazy and no mistake was too small to not merit her cane. Rumour had it she soaked her cane in water. And So when we registered and were put in our classes, Form 1A was assigned Miss H as their class teacher, immediately the brave ones ran to the B class even though we were told the best students were in the A class.

Now I was in the A class and those were the ambitious bunch I spoke of earlier. The B class laughed and teased us whenever they heard the fiery sound of canes dancing on the buttocks of "smart" kids. Our only leverage was that we were the smartest students in the school and we made sure they never forgot. We took the majority when it came to the top 10 students in all subjects at the end of each term with one or two B students struggling for 8th and 10th positions. Oh yes we had the last laugh every term until some new students were admitted. One of them who later became the Senior Boys Prefect  was put in the B class. The A class heard of his escapades.  He was chucking some A's and their class teacher (Mrs. D) started bragging. Miss H was the Agriculture Science teacher and Mrs D was the Pre- Vocational Skills teacher.
In our second year, the school was a significant years old (can't recall how old But it was old) so it organised a speech and prize giving day. Mrs D challenged the A class that the best student in her subject will surely emerge from B class. She could have been right because the A class gave no respect to Pre- Voc. Skills. Most of us thought it was simply a girl's course and we paid the most attention to Maths, English and Science. But the moment I found out that a guy in B class has been topping Pre - Vocational Skills with A+, all the while I was striking 45% and making a fool out of myself with shallow thinking, I advised myself and made certain changes!  I told Mrs D before her class that the one to take the prize for Pre-Voc Skills will come from A class. She accepted and declared that if a student from A class won, she will personally bake a cake for the person. I say with pride as an A class member that I took the prize and  became a favorite of Mrs D from thence. (The cake never came tho but boy, how  I miss her delicious pie!)

The competition that existed even among us in the A class was a fiery one. I was part of a certain group of people that always emerged top ten. All of us wanted to be first. This sort of thing wasn't present in my SHS or during my tertiary education. These ten were most of the time 9 boys and a girl. We were the best of friends and the best of rivals. When exams drew near, we had no time for jokes. People even read while sweeping the compound. No one wanted to not know what the other knew. Someone would ask the fellow, "have you read this topic?" If the fellow says yes, the person made sure he mastered that topic.
I will admit that my ambitious nature was birthed If not awoken in JHS. Personally my motto was this: " You must pass your exams but not lead me in position".

So finally April 2006 drew near and with it came our last examination in JHS.  Then we called it the "Almighty BECE". This time we put our rivalry aside. It didn't matter if you were in A or B. All that mattered was that you passed to enter SHS. We shared our knowledge and explained difficult equations to one another. Whoever was the best in a certain subject was our student teacher. Like today, the cases  of pregnant BECE candidates was present in our time. We had one in our midst, it was strange for some of us but our concern was for her to write with us and she did, wearing her uniform with a protruding belly. She was still the girl we came to Form 1 with.

© Amu Mawutoh 2015