The Ministry of Education has assured that all outstanding school placement issues involving parents and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduates will be resolved before Senior High Schools (SHSs) reopen on Saturday, October 18, 2025.
According to the Ministry, the initial large crowds of anxious parents and students at the various school placement resolution centres have significantly reduced, following enhanced measures to fast-track complaint handling.
During a visit to the main resolution centre at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall in Accra, the Press Secretary to the Minister of Education, Mr. Hasmin Mohammed, said operations had improved considerably after additional personnel were deployed to assist visitors.
“We have been able to decongest the crowd because we have deployed a lot of personnel to attend to and listen to their issues. You can attest to the fact that the situation has improved,” he said.
Mr. Mohammed expressed confidence that all outstanding placement issues would be resolved before reopening, assuring parents and students that the Ministry was working “with speed and fairness” to ensure every eligible student is placed.
No Plans to Postpone SHS Reopening
Responding to concerns about a possible postponement of the reopening date for first-year SHS students, Mr. Mohammed said the Ministry still had adequate time to address all remaining challenges.
“We still have time, and when there is the need for that, management and higher authorities will take a decision. But for now, we are working within the timeframe we have set for ourselves,” he stated.
Parents Commend Swift Resolution Process
Many parents and guardians who visited the GNAT Hall centre have commended the improved organisation and professionalism of the staff handling placement issues. Others, however, have called for better communication from the Ministry to reduce misinformation and panic.
Mr. Mohammed disclosed that over 5,000 people had visited the Accra centre so far, many of whom expressed satisfaction with the transparency and efficiency of the process.
He reaffirmed that the school placement exercise was being conducted in a fair, transparent, and merit-based manner.
Centres Operating Nationwide
The GNAT Hall centre is one of several school placement resolution centres established across the country since September 18, 2025. These centres, located mainly in regional capitals, are tasked with verifying placement details and providing immediate assistance where necessary.
Senior Ministry officials, including Dr. Clement Apaak, Deputy Minister of Education, have toured some of the centres to reassure parents and students of government’s commitment to ensuring a smooth transition to SHS.
BECE Results and Free SHS Expansion
A total of 603,328 candidates — comprising 297,520 males and 306,078 females from 20,395 schools — sat for the 2025 BECE, which was conducted from June 11 to 18.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released provisional results on August 24, cancelling the entire results of 177 candidates and subject results of 718 others for various forms of malpractice. Another 1,240 subject results and 93 entire results were withheld pending investigations.
Mr. Mohammed noted that the Mahama administration remained committed to expanding and improving the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme to ensure equitable access to quality secondary education, backed by adequate infrastructure and teaching resources.
He assured the public that the Ministry was working diligently to ensure no qualified student is left behind before schools reopen next week.
