2025 SHS Placement: Ministry Confirms 564k Placed, Clarifies Strict Rules for Category A School Changes

The Ministry of Education has released an official update on the ongoing 2025 Senior High School (SHS) placement exercise. It has confirmed that parents seeking to get their wards moved from Category B or C to A schools cannot eat their pie and have it since Category A are for students with exceptional grades and raw scores.

It also confirmed the ministry has achived a high success rate. In its press release, it provided clarity on issues being handled by the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) Resolution Centres.

In a press release dated September 23, 2025, the Ministry announced that 564,000 out of 590,390 qualified candidates have been successfully placed in SHS and Technical Schools across the country. This represents a national placement success rate of 95.5%, marking a significant milestone in this year’s exercise.

“The successful placement of over 95.5% of qualified candidates demonstrates the robustness of the CSSPS system. Our efforts at the Resolution Centres are now focused on addressing the remaining unique cases with fairness and transparency, ensuring that every student has a clear path forward.”

The statement also addressed the primary concerns and requests being processed by the Resolution Centres, offering guidance to parents, guardians, and students.

The most frequent issue, accounting for 1,100 cases, involves requests for a change of school. The Ministry noted that 76% of these requests are attempts to move students from Category B or C schools to the highly competitive Category A schools.

Officials clarified that placement into Category A institutions is strictly based on raw scores, available vacancies, and intense competition. Consequently, even high-achieving students are not guaranteed placement in their first-choice school if it is oversubscribed. The Resolution Centres are reviewing cases with “genuine concerns” on an individual basis.

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For qualified students who were not automatically placed, the Ministry strongly recommends using the self-placement option. The portal has proven effective, with approximately 70% of candidates who utilized it successfully securing a school.

“The data on ‘Change of School’ requests highlights the perennial challenge of oversubscription in Category A schools. While parental aspirations are valid, the 70% success rate of the self-placement module is a crucial reminder that quality education and opportunity exist across a wide range of institutions.”

Additionally, the Ministry confirmed that the data for re-entry candidates is currently being processed, and these students are advised to await further updates.

The Ministry reiterated that a candidate’s residence cannot ordinarily be changed after placement. However, special concessions will be made for exceptional cases supported by documentation, such as significant health challenges or family relocation.

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We are preparing to receive the students placed with us and trust the Ministry’s process. The confirmation that residence changes are only for exceptional cases helps us manage our boarding facilities effectively and ensures fairness for all admitted students

The CSSPS Secretariat has assured the public that all outstanding issues are being handled with diligence to ensure a fair, transparent, and smooth conclusion to the 2025 placement process.