The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has issued a firm warning that no student with a Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) aggregate as high as 37 will be admitted into a Category A senior high school.
According to the Minister, the ongoing Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) will be strictly merit-based to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability. He stressed that any attempt to manipulate the process in favour of undeserving candidates would be met with decisive sanctions.
Speaking at a media briefing in Accra, Haruna Iddrisu explained that both the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have no personal access to the system to prevent interference. “Let me assure you that placement of persons who pass the BECE exams is ongoing. The Director General sitting here has no access, I have no access, the Deputy Minister has no access. No Deputy Director General has access in order to guarantee the meritorious application of it. For instance, I would not accept a student with an aggregate of 37 going into a Category A school. What would be your justification for that if you hear that a student with an aggregate of 35 or 37 is placed in a Category A school? That is questionable,” the Minister declared.
Parents Flood Placement Centres
His remarks come amid heightened anxiety as parents and their wards thronged the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall in Accra to address challenges with this year’s placement. Many expressed frustration over what they described as misplaced school postings, long queues, and errors in the system.
One parent lamented: “I came here to change the school that the system gave to my son. Since we got here, the queue has been overwhelming. My ward got St. Fidelis SHS, and I don’t even know where that school is located. We were hoping for a day school closer to home, but with the pace of this process, I doubt they will be able to attend to us today.”
Some parents also accused the CSSPS of errors that wrongly disadvantaged their children, sparking calls for a more robust system.
Infrastructure Challenges
Beyond placement controversies, the Minister admitted that inadequate infrastructure remains a major bottleneck. He revealed that even Category A schools are overstretched and called for urgent investment in facilities to accommodate the rising number of SHS entrants. “If Achimota got two additional dormitory blocks and two additional state-of-the-art classrooms, it would double its intake, just as Wesley Girls, Yaa Asantewaa, Temasco, Adisadel, or any other school. But the question is, have we invested in them? We have not. So, don’t expect that all of a sudden, we’ll be able to place people adequately,” he said.
Haruna Iddrisu noted that while placement opportunities exceed the number of candidates who sat for the 2025 BECE, expanding access to private senior high schools was necessary to absorb the overflow under the Free SHS policy.
“Spaces Are Enough, But Parents Want Popular Schools”
Meanwhile, Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, has cautioned parents against unrealistic expectations. He said that although the country has sufficient spaces to absorb the over 590,000 candidates, demand for only “prestigious” schools is creating avoidable tension. “The resolution starts with parents, because we have more spaces in schools than we actually need. But the issue is that while the country has spaces in our secondary schools, the spaces do not meet the full expectations, tastes and choices of parents. You may wish to go to Labone SHS to do science, but you must also know that the school is a competitive Category B school. Your choice must align with your merit,” Asare explained.
He urged parents to embrace schools across all categories in order to ensure equitable access and reduce pressure on the limited slots in top-ranked institutions.
The Road Ahead
The ongoing school placement exercise continues to generate heated debate as parents demand fairness, transparency, and improved infrastructure to match Ghana’s expanding Free SHS policy.
While the Ministry of Education remains resolute that merit will not be compromised, calls for systemic reforms and investments in infrastructure are growing louder. For now, Haruna Iddrisu has drawn a clear line: Category A schools will remain the preserve of students who merit them through their academic performance.
