Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of the Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), has explained why the number of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates who failed to meet requirements for SHS placement has skyrocketed, rising from 13,019 in 2025 to 54,995 in 2026.
According to Kofi Asare, between 2022 and 2025, the number averaged about 11,000 candidates a year, or roughly 1.9% of candidates.
His post highlighted the dramatic rise in BECE candidates failing to qualify for senior high school placement, surging from 13,019 (2.2%) in 2025 to 54,985 (8.9%) in 2026, as shown in an accompanying Eduwatch chart based on Ministry of Education data.
Kofi Asare attributed the increased number of BECE students failing to qualify for SHS placement to stricter enforcement of the policy disqualifying students who score a grade 9 in English, Mathematics, or Science, unlike the more flexible application in 2022-2025 when non-qualifiers averaged around 1.9%.
The EduWatch Executive Director noted that roughly 4% of candidates statistically fail these core subjects like Math, English and Science at BECE.
In a post on X, Kofi Asare wrote, “The proportion of BECE candidates who did not qualify for school placement has risen sharply, from 13,019 in 2025 to 54,995 in 2026.
Between 2022 and 2025, the number averaged about 11,000 candidates a year, or roughly 1.9% of candidates.
In 2026, however, the 54,995 candidates represent 8.9% of the cohort, an increase of about 7 percentage points from the 2.2% recorded in 2025.
The sharp rise suggests that the Ministry of Education may be applying the “9 in English, Mathematics or Science means no placement” rule more strictly than in previous years, when the rule appears to have been applied more flexibly.
NB: Statistically,4% will always fail Math, English and Science at BECE.
The monkey and the baboon may live together, but they do not share the same tail.-Larteh Proverb!”
The development follows, the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) Secretariat Coordinator, Sherif Sulemana, has disclosed that 55,000 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE)candidates fail to meet requirements for placement
He detailed that out of the nearly 620,000 who sat for the BECE exams, about 565,000 candidates have qualified for placement into Senior High Schools.
He explained that candidates who fail in either English or Mathematics are disqualified, even if they perform well in other subjects.
Speaking on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, September 3, Mr Sherif stated, “Based on our analysis, we have about 565,000 qualified for placement this year”.
“Those people have not failed in either English or Mathematics. So, you are disqualified from placement if you have failed in either English or Mathematics,” Mr Sherif explained.
He disclosed that the examination results also revealed varying levels of performance among candidates.
“You find out somebody got one, somebody got ten over 100, somebody got, say, twelve, twenty over 100, and that qualifies as a failure,” he said.
Mr Sherif further disclosed that approximately 55,000 candidates did not meet the requirements for placement.
When asked about the number of candidates who did not qualify for placement, he stated, “There are about 55,000”.
“If you look at the data for the performance of the candidates, we only had about 17 per cent of the candidates getting aggregates from 6 to 18,” he said.
“We only had about 252,000, or about 35 per cent of the candidates, getting from aggregate 6 to 24,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has released the National Harmonised Prospectus for prospective Senior High School (SHS) and Senior High Technical School (SHTS) students for the 2026/2027 academic year.
The National Harmonised Prospectus is intended to guide parents and students on the essential items required for enrolment.
According to the GES, parents and students preparing for the next stage of their education must carefully review the prospectus and make the necessary preparations ahead of the new academic year.
The GES also urged schools and relevant stakeholders to adhere to the requirements outlined in the prospectus to ensure a smooth, consistent and standardised admission process nationwide.
In a statement signed by Daniel Fenyi, Head of Public Relations at GES read, “Ahead of the release of the school placements, this prospectus is intended to provide parents and students with clear guidance on the essential items required for enrolment, ensuring that all newly admitted SHS students are adequately prepared to begin the academic year”.
“Parents and students are encouraged to carefully review the prospectus and make the necessary preparations ahead of the commencement of the 2026/2027 academic year”.
“Schools and other relevant stakeholders are also expected to adhere to the requirements outlined in the National Harmonised Prospectus to ensure a smooth, consistent and standardised admission process nationwide,” the statement added.
See the post below:
The proportion of BECE candidates who did not qualify for school placement has risen sharply, from 13,019 in 2025 to 54,995 in 2026.
— Kofi Asare (@KofiEducation) September 3, 2026
Between 2022 and 2025, the number averaged about 11,000 candidates a year, or roughly 1.9% of candidates.
In 2026, however, the 54,995 candidates… pic.twitter.com/FfbsyJ9AGs
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