It charged candidates to read and understand all instructions before starting the paper(s), and as much as possible, only rely “on your ability and not the person sitting next to you, and surely, victory would be yours.

“We are also hopeful that the invigilators would not condone malpractices to make the examination hitch-free.

“Ghana looks up to you to bear its torch of progress and prosperity, you ,therefore, need not fail her,” a statement signed by the General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah, said.

Society

It told the candidates that their parents, siblings and the larger society were looking up to them and  so they should not disappoint them.

It said the future was theirs and so they should take advantage of the BECE and carve a niche for themselves, stressing that GNAT had confidence in them and wished them all the best.

“GNAT sends all candidates its message of encouragement and exhorts them to throw in their all to achieve success.

“You must know that you are embarking on the very crucial journey to higher education and you must ,therefore, enter the examination room with confidence and the ‘can do spirit’ and you would come out with flying colours,” it said.

The statement said with that at the back of their minds, it would urge candidates not to “indulge in malpractices and any other act or malfeasance which may disrupt your aims and aspirations, as well as bring all the efforts and toils to usher you into a future of prosperity and bliss into disrepute”.

A total of 602,457 final-year Junior High School (JHS) students are writing this year’s BECE across the country.

The total candidature represents an increase of 49,049 over last year's figure of 553,408.