2026 SHS placement crisis was caused by changes to established model – Former Dept. GES Director

Former Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, has attributed the difficulties surrounding the 2026 Senior High School (SHS) placement exercise to changes made to the established placement model. Speaking on JoyNews ’ Newsfile on Saturday, Dr Tandoh, who is also spokesperson for the NPP Policy Committee on Education, said the controversy was largely the result of changes to student selection, eligibility requirements and the number of Category A schools candidates could choose. His comments come amid public concern over reports involving approximately 55,000 candidates in the 2026 placement exercise. Dr Tandoh said Ghana’s secondary school placement system had historically been based on two key considerations: student choice and the availability of places in schools.

He explained that before the 1987 education reforms, pupils completed primary education and sat the Common Entrance examination, after which secondary schools admitted students based largely on their preferred schools and the capacity available. The 1987 reforms introduced the JSS and SSS structure, which later evolved into the current JHS and SHS system. However, the challenge of limited spaces remained, making grading, merit and school capacity important components of admission. According to Dr Tandoh, the introduction of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) in 2005 modernised the process by using computers to replicate the work previously done manually by school authorities. He stressed, however, that computerisation did not eliminate cut-off points because schools could only admit students according to their available capacity. Dr Tandoh said the introduction of Free SHS in 2017 was accompanied by a deliberate effort to expand…