Thirteen pupils were absent from the BECE Examination underway in the Bolgatanga East District of the Upper East Region.

Though more girls were registered to take part in the examination, nine of them failed to turn up, while four boys were also absent for the first day of the examination which started at 0920 hours, 20 minutes late.

Mr Robert Atampugre , the Examination Officer in charge of the Zuarungu Senior school that housed centres ‘A’, ‘B’ , ‘C’, said a total of 564 candidates were expected to write the BECE, constituting 266 males and 298 females from 16 public schools and three private schools.

He said most of the absent girls were pregnant, while the boys did not give any tangible reason for failing to turn up when their school heads contacted their families and tried to encourage them to convince their wards to write the exams.

Meanwhile, at the examination centre B, pupils who wore other shoes apart from the stipulated cross sandals were made to walk into the examination hall bare footed.

According to the Examination Officer, the recommendation for students to go into the examination hall in cross sandals was to help forestall cases of examination malpractices.