Are candidates to be forced to select schools they don’t want? No, they are to be advised on what is good for them. Forcing candidates to choose a school or a programme without explaining the logic behind it is never the best approach.
Sometimes, parents, teachers, and schools may be tempted to believe they know what is good for a candidate.
In some instances, a candidate may want to study General Arts, yet the parents want him or her to study Science. A particular school and programme may be chosen for the candidate who may not do well.
In some instances, parents use an autocratic approach to choosing programmes for their learners without looking at the subject and academic strengths of the student.
How can parents help BECE graduates choose a school and programme of study without forcing them?
- Talk to your child about their interests and goals. What are they passionate about? What do they want to do after high school? Once you have a better understanding of their interests and goals, you can start to narrow down their options.
- Talk to your child about the pros and cons of each school and program of study. Help them weigh the factors that are important to them, such as the school’s location, academic reputation, cost, and extracurricular activities.
Candidates should not be forced to select Free SHS schools they don’t want to attend.
The purpose of the Free SHS program is to make secondary education accessible and affordable for all Ghanaian students, regardless of their financial background.
If students are forced to attend schools they don’t want to go to, they are less likely to be successful in their studies.
The Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) is designed to place students in schools based on their academic performance and preferences.
Students are asked to list their top three school choices, and the CSSPS tries to place them in one of their chosen schools.
However, due to the high demand for certain schools, not all students are able to be placed in their first choice.
If a student is not placed in any of their chosen schools, they are given the opportunity to do self-placement.
This means that they can choose a school from a list of available schools. If a student is still unable to find a school that they want to attend, they can appeal to the Ghana Education Service (GES).
READ: Will There Be 2023 BECE Self Placement This Year, After Selecting 11 Schools? Answer Here
The GES has a policy against forcing students to attend schools they don’t want to go to.
If a student appeals to the GES, they will be given a list of schools that have available places. The student can then choose a school from this list.
If a student is still unable to find a school that they want to attend, they may be able to defer their enrollment for one year.
This will give them time to find a school that they are happy with.
Overall, students should not be forced to select Free SHS schools they don’t want to attend.
The GES has a policy against this, and there are options available to students who are not placed in their chosen schools.
The Ghana Education News Editorial Team is a specialized collective of education researchers, journalists, and policy analysts dedicated to providing high-fidelity reporting on the Ghanaian academic landscape. Serving as a primary bridge between governing bodies—including the Ghana Education Service (GES) and WAEC—and the public, the team leverages over a decade of combined experience to serve students, parents, and educators nationwide.
Lead Architect & Editor-in-Chief
The team is led by Wisdom Kojo Eli Hammond, a distinguished Ghanaian Edu-Tech Entrepreneur, AI Solutions Developer, and Product Architect with over 25 years of cross-disciplinary experience in education, finance, and digital media. Wisdom is the visionary force behind SkulManager, Ghana’s premier school management ecosystem, and the Lead Consultant at Education-News Consult.
A self-taught innovator, professional Web Designer, and regular columnist on GhanaWeb, Wisdom engineered SkulManager.com as the only platform strictly tailored to the GES Curriculum. His technical leadership has redefined educational assessment through a Hybrid Marking Ecosystem, pioneering the BECE and WASSCE Home Mock services—a unique fusion of WAEC-trained human examiners and advanced AI marking engines operational since 2022.
Wisdom’s 360-degree view of institutional challenges is grounded in his tenure as College President and Lecturer at Pinnacle College (Achimota), as well as his background as a school administrator and accountant. He is a dedicated lifelong learner currently advancing his studies at the Accra Institute of Technology (AIT), with academic ties to the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
An accomplished author, his works include Returnees of the Dead Forest (UK Published), Simplified Beacon of Light (850+ Q&A), and The Leader in Me. A foundational pillar of the award-winning NGO Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), Wisdom is committed to building intelligent systems that solve societal problems and prepare the next generation of Ghanaian students for a digital future.
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