School Proprietor Arrested for Allegedly Preventing Students from Writing BECE Maths Exam.
A school proprietor in the Ashanti Region has been arrested for allegedly denying two Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates access to their Mathematics paper over unpaid registration fees.
Damian Owusu 
A school proprietor in the Ashanti Region has been arrested for allegedly denying two Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates access to their Mathematics paper over unpaid registration fees.
According to a police statement, Mr. Afoakwa Sarpong, proprietor of The Big Six Educational Complex in Meduma, Kwabre East Municipality, was apprehended on Monday, June 17, 2025. The arrest, initiated by Municipal Director of Education Nana Adu Mensah Asare and Public Relations Officer Ms.
Mavis Okyere Anane, followed reports that the students were forcibly confined in a separate room at the exam centre—effectively preventing them from participating in the paper.
Preliminary investigations suggest the pupils were released only after the exam had ended. The police have since handed Mr. Sarpong over to the Mamponteng District Police Command for further inquiry on a potential charge of assault by imprisonment.
While Mr. Sarpong claims he only intended the students to alert their parents, the act has sparked outrage. Public discourse now turns to the ethical and legal boundaries of fee enforcement in private education—and whether safeguarding a child’s right to education should ever be contingent on financial compliance.
This incident raises broader concerns over educational access, equity, and the tension between school administration and child welfare in Ghana’s academic system. As investigations continue, many are calling for stricter enforcement of the Ghana Education Service’s guidelines that prohibit obstructing a student’s participation in national exams due to financial issues.
