BECE candidate leaves exam hall to do Galamsey; says gold is better than education

A male candidate in the just-started 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) at Duapompo in the Ashanti Region has abandoned the examination hall to search for gold in an illegal mining pit.

The final-year student of the Duapompo MA Junior High School, identified as Prince Owusu Snr., is said to have absented himself on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the first day of the examination, to go and engage in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

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According to reports, the candidate’s action was driven by the lure of fast money through galamsey.
One teacher said, “He told us he was going to look for money, and that will give him a better future than writing an exam.”

Illegal mining has turned many school dropouts into overnight millionaires, at least temporarily. The allure is strong: forget years of studying—just dig deep enough, and you might strike gold. But as history also teaches us, fortune comes with consequences.

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While officials issue statements condemning galamsey and reinforcing the importance of education, perhaps the real question should be: What has formal education offered to the thousands of unemployed graduates grappling with a struggling economy?

If industries fail to absorb educated youth while illegal ventures offer immediate wealth, it is not shocking that some are willing to make radical decisions.