Nearly 55,000 BECE Candidates Miss 2026 SHS Placement as GES Releases Emergency Contact Numbers

A worrying number of candidates who sat the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will not qualify for the 2026/2027 Senior High School placement exercise.

The Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) has disclosed that 54,985 candidates did not meet the requirements for placement into Senior High Schools and Senior High Technical Schools.

The figure represents about 8.9% of the nearly 620,000 candidates who took part in the 2026 BECE. Meanwhile, approximately 565,000 candidates have qualified for placement.

Why 54,985 Candidates Will Not Be Placed

According to the CSSPS Coordinator, Sherif Sulemana, candidates must meet the required performance standard in English Language and Mathematics to qualify for placement.

He explained that a candidate who fails either English Language or Mathematics is disqualified from the placement exercise.

Mr Sulemana also clarified that a Grade 9 under the standardised grading system does not automatically mean a candidate has failed. The candidate’s raw score is also considered when determining placement eligibility

The development comes as Ghana prepares to release the 2026/2027 SHS, SHTS and TVET placement results on Friday, September 4, 2026.

Parents Should Not Panic When Placement Is Released

For candidates who qualify but encounter problems with their placement, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has activated official contact numbers to help resolve placement-related concerns.

In a letter dated September 2, 2026, and signed by Prince C. Agyemang-Duah, Director of the Schools and Instructions Division (Secondary), the GES directed Regional Directors to make the numbers available for placement-related issues.

Official GES Placement Contact Numbers

055 037 7388

059 952 5926

059 844 5898

059 797 4847

055 855 5431

The GES said the contact numbers are intended to assist parents and guardians who encounter challenges with the placement of their wards, as well as other placement-related concerns.

Parents and candidates who live far from regional resolution centres can therefore use the official call-centre numbers for assistance. The CSSPS has also activated support services to handle placement complaints.

What Candidates Should Do on September 4

Candidates and parents should first check the placement through the official CSSPS placement portal when the results are released.

If a qualified candidate is not placed in any of the selected schools, the CSSPS portal provides a Self-Placement option for selecting a school with available vacancies. (CSSPS)

Hoo to do self-placement

Choose an available school when you were not assigned one during automatic placement.

READ: CSSPS placement results to be released tomorrow – Education Ministry

Parents should also avoid middlemen and individuals demanding money to influence placement.

The release of the 54,985 figure is likely to heighten anxiety among parents, particularly those whose children performed poorly in English Language or Mathematics.

However, candidates who qualify for placement should carefully check their results before concluding that they have been left out.

With more than 54,000 candidates already ruled out under the qualification criteria, September 4 could be a tense day for thousands of Ghanaian families.