Africa Education Watch has sounded the alarm over a looming admission crisis under Ghana’s Free SHS and TVET programme, warning that thousands of qualified Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates could be left without placement due to inadequate school infrastructure.
In its latest Volume 37 Education Alert Policy Brief, the education policy think tank revealed that although nearly 620,000 students sat for the 2025 BECE, about 607,000 are expected to qualify for placement into senior high schools.
However, Eduwatch estimates that current school capacity may only absorb a portion of the successful candidates, leaving nearly 72,000 students at risk of missing admission if urgent interventions are not implemented.
The group attributed the potential shortfall to declining transition efficiency, which it said dropped from 92 percent in 2024 to 82 percent in 2025. According to the report, the decline could place significant pressure on the Computerised School Selection and Placement System during this year’s admissions process.
Eduwatch explained that the situation has been worsened by the gradual reduction of the Double Track system in some schools, uneven distribution of available spaces across regions, and accessibility constraints that limit students’ placement options.
The policy brief also pointed to the slow integration of private senior high schools into the Free SHS programme as a missed opportunity to ease congestion in public institutions.
The organisation warned that if government fails to act quickly, the 2026 academic placement process could expose deeper structural weaknesses in Ghana’s secondary education system amid rising enrolment numbers.
It is therefore calling for the immediate expansion of boarding facilities, completion of stalled school infrastructure projects, and reforms to improve the efficiency of the placement system ahead of placements scheduled for August.
Eduwatch also urged stronger partnerships with private schools to help create additional spaces and prevent what it describes as one of the most serious secondary school placement challenges in recent years.
