Gov’t is reviewing Computerised placement system – Education Minister

The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has said that the central government is reviewing the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) to make it fairer and more efficient.

During a visit to the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC), Legon, on Monday, October 20, the Education Minister stated that the current placement system is not functioning as expected.

“It means that the computerized placement system is not working well for the country, and I’m happy to review it, and I will review it,” the Minister in Charge of Education stated.

He added “I’ll put in place a committee to review its performance over the decade, and then give me a credible alternative. What we need is meritorious admission. Nobody would accept that you get an Aggregate 6, and you can’t get the spot of your first choice. That’s unfair, and we’ll look very closely into that.”

The Minister in Charge of Education expressed concern over reports that some students were not offered their preferred programmes or were denied school choices despite having excellent grades.

“I have observed that some parents are unhappy, justified. Some students are unhappy, justified, because they chose a particular course, Science, and was given General Arts or Business. That would be a disincentive even for that child to study hard and do his best,” Mr Haruna Iddrisu noted.

This year, a total of 590,309 BECE candidates qualified for second-cycle school (SHS/TVET) placement. Out of this, 483,800 were placed automatically, while 107,000 secured schools through self-placement.

Of the 483,800 Basic Education Certificate Examination graduates who secured automatic second-cycle school placement, 234,783, representing 48.6% were boys, and 248,038, representing 51.4% were girls.

A total of 82 per cent (82%) of qualified students who sat for the 2025 edition of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) have been placed in their first-choice second-cycle schools.

49 out of 70 private Senior High Schools (private SHSs) in the country included in the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme have been made available for self-placement at the Computerized School Selection and Placement System.