The Ministry of Education has attributed the challenges encountered during the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) exercise to a significant mismatch between student preferences and available vacancies, rather than a shortage of spaces in the secondary education system.
Data released by the Ministry shows that 313,283 candidates selected Category A schools as their first choice, despite only 76,417 vacancies being declared in that category. This means more than four candidates competed for every available place in the most sought-after schools, while substantial vacancies remained unfilled in other categories.
Vacancy disparity across categories
According to the Ministry, the CSSPS declared a total of 859,828 vacancies across schools nationwide, a figure that exceeds the number of candidates who sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Category B schools declared 250,366 vacancies, with 176,614 first-choice requests, while Category C schools had 468,652 vacancies against 123,577 first-choice requests. Private Senior High Schools and Senior High Technical Schools recorded 995 first-choice requests.
“The issue, therefore, is not simply the availability of spaces in our secondary education system. It is largely a mismatch between where vacancies exist and where candidates most strongly prefer to be placed,” Deputy Minister for Education Dr Clement Abas Apaak explained.
High demand for elite institutions
Schools such as Achimota School and Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (Presec) continued to attract exceptionally high demand, with Achimota alone receiving approximately 28,000 applications for about 1,300 available places. Aburi Girls’ Senior High School also recorded 8,225 applications for about 800 places.
The concentration of candidates on a limited number of elite schools has been identified as a recurring challenge in the placement system. Education Ministry Press Secretary Hashmin Mohammed noted that when candidates cannot secure their first-choice school due to competition, the CSSPS considers their subsequent choices among the eight schools they were allowed to select this year.
Placement results and unplaced candidates
The 2026 CSSPS results were released on September 4, with 527,932 candidates successfully placed out of 604,567 qualified candidates, representing 87.3 percent. The placed candidates comprise 276,521 females and 251,411 males.
However, 57,259 candidates were not automatically placed through the CSSPS. According to the Ministry, 3,372 candidates did not sit for the BECE at all, while 35,382 obtained a grade 9 in either English Language or Mathematics, and 18,505 obtained a grade 9 in both subjects.
GES Public Relations Officer Daniel Fenyi clarified that the Ministry has decided to strictly enforce a long-standing policy that bars automatic placement for students who fail these two foundational subjects. “The original policy itself aimed at grade 9 in Math, English and Science—these three core subjects—that if you had grade 9 in any of them or all of them, then you would not be qualified for automatic posting,” he explained.
Self-placement and resolution centres
Candidates who obtained a score of nine in English Language or Mathematics are eligible to access the self-placement system to select from schools and programmes with available vacancies. The Ministry has also established a Placement Resolution Centre in Accra, supported by additional centres across all regions, to handle placement-related concerns.
Three dedicated call-centre lines have been activated for direct assistance: 055 037 7388, 059 952 5926 and 059 844 5898.
The Ministry has also included 85 private Senior High Schools in the Free SHS programme for the 2026/27 academic year, providing additional options for candidates undertaking self-placement.
Minister warns against off-system admissions
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has directed heads of Senior High Schools not to admit students outside the CSSPS, warning that those who do so will face sanctions. The directive follows observations of significant discrepancies in previous placement cycles between the number of students placed through the system and those actually enrolled on the ground.
“The Ministry has observed that in previous placement cycles, particularly last year, there were significant discrepancies between the number of students placed through the system and the number of students actually enrolled on the ground. This indicates that some school heads admitted students outside the approved placement system,” a Ministry statement said.
The directive is in line with government’s commitment to improving access to secondary education and strengthening the integrity of placement and enrolment processes under the World Bank-funded Secondary Education Transformation for Access, Relevance and Results for Jobs Project (STARR-J).
Policy change under scrutiny
The 2026 placement exercise followed changes announced by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu in April, under which candidates were required to select their preferred senior high schools after receiving their BECE results. The government said the change was intended to allow candidates to make more informed choices based on their examination performance.
However, some critics have questioned the policy. Former Education Ministry spokesperson Kwasi Kwarteng described the new placement rules as a “backward approach” and argued that the large number of candidates unable to secure their preferred schools demonstrated weaknesses in the new system. He also questioned whether the tighter criteria could be linked to government’s push to end double-track scheduling in senior high schools.
Parental concerns and reactions
The placement results have attracted mixed reactions from parents and guardians. While some expressed excitement about their children securing placements in preferred schools, others voiced disappointment over students with good grades missing their choices.
One worried parent, Ama Essaba, expressed concern that her daughter had been placed as a day student at Archbishop Porter’s Girls SHS in Takoradi despite the family residing in Accra, raising questions about daily commuting logistics. Another parent, Kobina Badu, reported that his daughter, who secured aggregate 15, was placed in La Presbyterian SHS as a day student rather than Odorgonnor SHS as a boarder as he had expected.
The Ministry has stressed that the placement process is absolutely free and warned parents and candidates against paying money to individuals who claim they can secure placement for them.
