Henceforth, the Ministry of Education has slashed the 30 per cent quota placement for public schools candidates of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to 15 per cent.

The policy decision is applicable to the 2025 BECE candidates entering senior high schools for the 2025/26 academic year.

The National Coordinator of the Free Senior High School, Benita Sena Okity-Duah, who announced this at a press conference in Accra last Tuesday to outline new guidelines for the selections of schools under the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), explained that the decision was the position of government.

Concerns

Until now, the Ghana Education Service (GES) allocated 30 per cent placement of Grade ‘A’ schools to public school candidates, leaving the rest of the 70 per cent for remaining public school and private school candidates.

It was a bone of contention between private school operators and the GES, where the former described the policy as unconstitutional since it created discrimination in the educational system.

Furthermore, it said the policy infringed on Article 25 (1) of the 1992 Constitution, which provided that, “all persons shall have the right to equal educational opportunities and facilities and with a view of achieving the full realisation of that right.”

Selection process

Mrs Okity-Duah, who announced that the selection of schools began on Tuesday, May 27 to June 11 by the BECE candidates, said the exercise would not be extended and all candidates were expected to comply with the directive.

She advised parents to take a keen interest in the filling of the forms and were required to sign it at the end and keep a copy.

Under the new guidelines, candidates are expected to select five schools of their choice and two others, making seven in total.

As part of the selection, candidates are expected to select one school from category A, not more than two schools from category B.

However, candidate can select all five schools from category C.

Candidates interested in TVET education are required to select all their five choices in TVET schools but in same order of one from category A, not more than two from category B or all five schools from category C.

Out of the five schools, a candidate is expected to select three of them as boarding and two day.

Mrs Okity-Duah said as usual, the placement of the candidates in the schools would be merit-based and once the candidate was placed in a school, there would not be any changes in placement.