NDC gov’t ‘scored own goals’ with new SHS placement policy — Dr. Bempah Tandoh

A former Deputy Director-General in charge of Quality and Access at the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, has accused the government of creating avoidable challenges in the 2026 Senior High School (SHS) placement exercise.

His comments come amid increasing concerns over the 2026/2027 placement exercise, with parents and candidates reporting problems involving school choices, boarding and day status, programmes and placement outcomes.

Parents have also crowded the National Placement Resolution Centre at GNAT Hall in Accra, as well as other regional capitals, to seek solutions, with reports of long queues, delays and frustration.

Reacting to this, the former GES official said changes introduced to the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), including allowing students to select schools after receiving their BECE results, contributed to the pressure on highly demanded Category A schools.

Speaking on Accra-based JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 12, Dr. Bempah Tandoh described the government’s handling of the placement process as a case of “policy incoherence”.

“The NDC government scored own goals, own goal number one. Nobody asked you to change what had been working even for you in 2025. The policy, as it has been implemented, even in your first year, was working,” he argued.

He criticised the decision to move from pre-examination to post-examination school selection, arguing that the change was unnecessary because the previous system had been functioning without major disruptions.

The 2026 guidelines required candidates to receive their BECE results before selecting their preferred schools, a change the CSSPS Secretariat said was intended to help candidates make more informed choices and reduce pressure on highly subscribed Category A schools.

The new guidelines also allowed candidates to select up to two Category A schools as part of their eight choices.

Dr Tandoh argued that allowing candidates with aggregates between six and 10 to expect access to Category A schools created further pressure because the number of candidates meeting that threshold was far higher than the available spaces.