The Conference of Heads of Private Second-Cycle Schools (CHOPSS) has moved to ease concerns over the thousands of students who failed to secure places in public Senior High Schools (SHSs), assuring them that they can still continue their education through accredited private institutions.
The Conference said 54,985 candidates who sat the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) were not placed into public SHSs through the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
In a statement issued on September 3, CHOPSS urged the affected candidates and their parents or guardians not to consider the outcome as the end of their educational journey.
It said accredited private second-cycle schools across the country were prepared to admit qualified students and provide them with the academic support needed to pursue their educational and career ambitions.
CHOPSS stressed that private SHSs had long served as an important alternative for students who were unable to obtain admission to their preferred public institutions.
The Conference pointed to the situation before the introduction of the Free Senior High School policy in 2017, when admission into public SHSs was largely determined by cut-off points.
Under that system, students whose results fell below the required cut-off points often turned to private schools to continue their second-cycle education.
According to CHOPSS, many of those students went on to improve their academic performance after receiving additional support, training and guidance in private institutions.
The Conference said a number of students who began their second-cycle education in private schools subsequently secured admission to tertiary institutions both in Ghana and abroad.
It noted that some of these former students had gone on to make significant contributions to the development of Ghana in both the public and private sectors.
CHOPSS therefore encouraged parents and candidates affected by the 2026 placement exercise to consider accredited private SHSs as a viable alternative rather than abandoning their education.
The Conference maintained that not securing a place in a public Free SHS institution should not prevent any qualified student from pursuing second-cycle education.
The assurance comes as attention turns to the 54,985 candidates who remain without placement following the release of the 2026 CSSPS results.
