A three-month-old baby cries softly in a dimly lit classroom in Bimbilla, as his mother gently rocks him in her arms.
Moments later, she returns to her books.
She is one of dozens of candidates preparing for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Nanumba North municipality. Only her journey is different. Alongside past questions and long study hours, she is also raising a child.
“Studying is very difficult for me,” she says quietly. “Most times, my baby cries, and because there’s no one to help, I have to stop learning to attend to him.”
For her, and many others, preparing for the BECE is not just about passing. It is about endurance.
Studying against the odds
In Bimbilla, students from remote communities have relocated ahead of the exams due to the lack of examination centres in their areas.
Many now sleep in classrooms, on bare floors, in hot and poorly ventilated spaces, with no fans. By night, these same classrooms transform into study areas.
Under flickering lights and sometimes in complete darkness. Students gather for evening preparatory classes at Our Lady of Peace JHS and Feeding the Sheep JHS, determined to succeed.
“I start preps at 7pm,” says Shani Muhiba, another candidate. “I study for hours, take a short break, then continue. If the lights go off and don’t come back, we go home and use torchlights to learn. We are doing this because we want to pass.”
When the lights go out
Power outages remain a constant disruption. Teachers say it’s a challenge they have learned to work around.
“Power outages are not new to us,” an Integrated Science teacher at Our Lady of Peace JHS explains. “We advise students to use solar lamps so they can continue learning when the light goes off.”
But even with these adjustments, the strain is visible, tired eyes, long nights, and little rest.
More than just books
Beyond studying, survival itself takes time.
Students must fetch water, cook their own meals, and find places to bath, a daily routines that eat into the few hours they have to rest or revise.
For the nursing mother, the burden is even heavier.
“Sometimes it becomes overwhelming,” she admits. “There are times I can’t continue learning, and my friends have to step in to help me.”
In those moments, it is not just determination that keeps her going but the quiet support of her peers.
Pushing for a better future
Despite the challenges, confidence remains high.
Teachers at Feeding the Sheep JHS say they have organised multiple mock examinations to prepare their students for success.
“We want them to come out with flying colours,” one teacher says.
And the students believe they will.
Holding on to hope
As night falls again in Bimbilla, the classrooms fill with the soft rustle of pages and low murmurs of revision.
For one young mother, it is another long night balancing a crying baby and a future she refuses to give up on.
With every page she turns, she is not just preparing for an exam. She is fighting for a chance.
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