Hashmin Mohammed, the Education Ministry Spokesperson and Press Secretary, has said BECE candidates who obtain aggregate 20 cannot choose the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC, Legon) to study General Science.
The Education Ministry Spokesperson highlighted that a BECE aggregate of 20 is not sufficient to select PRESEC Legon for General Science, amid ongoing 2026 SHS placements.
PRESEC, a top Category A boys’ boarding school known for strong science performance and NSMQ, has competitive programs like General Science that require much lower aggregates due to high demand and limited spots.
His clarification aligns with Ghana’s CSSPS rules emphasising aggregates, program choice, and vacancies.
In a news card shared by GHOne TV, Hashmin Mohammed was quoted as saying, “You cannot obtain aggregate 20 in BECE and choose PRESEC to study General Science”.
Some Ghanaians reacting to the Education Ministry Spokesperson and Press Secretary’s remarks stated, “The hype dem dey hype Presec dey vex me waa, cuz normal shs u go think ebi university… dem invest so much in the school, like we get plenty shs wey dem dey need infrastructure but secof presec be presec every rich man dey funds the school”.
A netizen added, “Some of y’all are talking trash. Why didn’t the JHS help improve the child’s academics? The child fails, and you want him or her to come to an A-school. The child getting an aggregate of 20 shows that his JHS has failed”.
One X user added, “Why not? The best schools should be capable of revamping the grades of the sinking students, not always getting already polished students and claiming best school titles”.
A netizen added, “They, your boss, said we can’t judge a child based on a one-hour paper, rather than the child’s terminal report.
Maybe the child is good in science or loves science.
We should give opportunities to people to pursue their dreams”.
“Aggregate 20 means your results aren’t among the very best. Presec Science is one of the most competitive programmes in Ghana. Limited spots and tons of students with much stronger grades competing for them. That’s why 20 won’t get you in. Not bias just reality. Choose wisely”, an X user added.
An X user added, “So, you wanted that child to attend a different school to study science, and the teachers are expected to teach that child to perform well in the WASSCE? Since we have the best teachers at PRESEC, why can’t they help someone with an aggregate of 20 pass their WASSCE?”
One last netizen added, “Such a wack mentality, I had agg 19, in BECE when I got to SHS I opted for agricultural science, and we were asked to mention our grades before the semester starts whilst people were mentioning 7, 9, 10 and co, I was shy of my agg 19, but when classes started they were far behind”.
Meanwhile, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, has rejected suggestions that candidates from private schools may have been disadvantaged in the marking of the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
According to WAEC, examiners do not know the origin of the scripts they assess.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, John Kapi explained, “We examine all of them the same way.
If you were to bring scripts and tell me that these are from school A or school B, I’ll not be able to identify unless I go back to the database and check which school centre number this is or that”.
Mr Kapi maintained that the integrity of the marking process remains intact as examiners do not work with school identities, only with coded scripts.
WAEC Head of Public Affairs reiterated that the Council applies the same assessment standards to every candidate.
He further urged schools and parents raising concerns over the 2026 BECE results to provide evidence to support their claims.
Mr Kapi stated, “In the first place, when you talk about correcting issues, we need to have those issues raised.
Somebody will say they got a grade for a subject that they did not register. I wonder how that can happen. Unless we see the evidence, it’ll be difficult for us to just speak in a vacuum”, he stated.
“Out of 620,000 candidates, where do you start from and where do you stop? Whom do you write to and whom do you not write to?” he asked.
See the post below:
You cannot obtain aggregate 20 in BECE and choose PRESEC to study General Science… – Hashmin Mohammed (Press Secretary and Spokesperson, Ministry of Education)#StarrFM#GHOneNews #EIBNetwork#GHOneTV #NewsAlert pic.twitter.com/RCdjYU7zuB
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) August 6, 2026
@ghnow_ The NPP’s “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration took place earlier today, with thousands of party supporters, leaders, and Minority MPs taking to the streets to protest what they described as threats to Ghana’s democratic principles. The demonstration concluded with protesters presenting a petition at Jubilee House after a heavy police presence secured the area.
♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ NPP Leadership Joined the “Democracy Under Attack” Demonstration earlier today #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
