Education Under Fire: Ghana's SHS Placement Policy Ignites Fresh Controversy and Calls for Urgent Reform!

The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the subsequent Senior High School (SHS) placement process in Ghana are currently at the center of a national debate, marked by concerns over access, equity, and the efficiency of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). While the Ghana Education Service (GES) maintains that ample vacancies exist, education advocates and politicians highlight significant challenges, particularly regarding the categorization of schools, the impact of F9 grades, and the timing of school selection.

Daniel Fenyi, Head of the Public Relations Unit of the GES, posits that the BECE should now primarily function as a placement examination, rather than a determinant for progression to SHS. He argues that access to SHS is an inherent right for every child, and the placement system's role is to allocate qualified students to schools based on available spaces, examination results, and the candidates' choices. Mr. Fenyi reassured the public that Ghana possesses approximately 800,000 class vacancies against about 637,328 qualified candidates for placement, asserting that the perceived scarcity is largely due to the intense demand for a limited number of Category A schools. With over 318,000 candidates vying for merely 76,000 Category A vacancies, he clarified that not all students can be accommodated in their top choices, regardless of their performance, but this does not equate to denial of access to SHS education. He further explained that placement decisions consider raw scores, residential preferences (day vs. boarding), and the competitiveness of chosen academic programs.

Contrasting this perspective, Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), has vehemently advocated for the permanent abolition of F9 grades as a barrier to SHS admission. He insists that every Ghanaian child completing basic education holds a right to secondary education, irrespective of their BECE performance. Mr. Asare welcomed the government’s recent decision to allow F9 grade holders to proceed to SHS but urged that this policy be enshrined within the Free SHS framework to prevent future reversals based on political discretion. He pointed out that students with F9 grades are disproportionately found in deprived regions, attributing poor academic outcomes to systemic issues such as teacher shortages, inadequate textbooks, and lack of basic infrastructure. He argued that it is unjust to penalize students for poor grades when the government has a responsibility to provide equitable teaching and learning conditions, stressing that Ghana should strive for a system where no child is denied secondary education due to basic-level academic performance.

The issue of available capacity has also been a contentious point. While the GES reported 800,000 vacancies against approximately 600,000 candidates, Mr. Asare differentiated between "actual capacity" (declared vacancies) and "effective capacity" (spaces that genuinely meet family preferences and needs). He emphasized the significant demand for boarding places, which often goes unmet, particularly in Category A and even many Category B schools, leading to students being placed in day arrangements despite preferring boarding. He argued that a mere increase in declared vacancies does not resolve the core problem if those spaces do not align with what families truly need, especially concerning residential status and school prestige.

Adding to the criticism, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, has described the government’s policy of allowing students to select SHS after the release of BECE results as a "backward approach." He warned in April 2026 that this approach would inevitably lead to a chaotic rush for highly competitive Category A institutions, a prediction he believes has materialized with the current placement difficulties. Dr. Agyemang argued that such a policy would only be workable in a system devoid of school categorization, where all institutions hold equal appeal. He highlighted the disparity between 313,283 candidates selecting Category A schools as their first choice and only 76,417 available vacancies, asserting that this imbalance was easily foreseeable. He called for a fundamental review of the school selection and placement process to better align student choices with available vacancies and school categorizations.

In response to the mounting concerns, the Ministry of Education, through officials like Hashmin Mohammed and Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, has acknowledged the challenges but reiterated that the core issue is not a shortage of spaces, but rather a "mismatch between where vacancies exist and where candidates most strongly prefer to be placed." With 859,828 declared vacancies across the secondary education system (including 250,366 in Category B and 468,652 in Category C schools), exceeding the number of qualified candidates, the Ministry maintains that no qualified student will be left without access to SHS. The Ministry has opened a self-placement portal for unplaced candidates, including those with F9 in English or Mathematics, and established regional and national resolution centers to address outstanding issues. They have also cautioned school authorities against admitting students outside the approved CSSPS system and reminded the public that placement is free, urging reports of any demands for payment.

The ongoing discussions underscore a complex challenge in Ghana's educational system, balancing the right to education with resource allocation, student preferences, and systemic inequalities. The varied perspectives from the GES, Eduwatch, and parliamentary figures highlight the need for a comprehensive and sustainable solution to ensure equitable and efficient SHS placement for all qualified students.