Former Education Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Bosomtwe, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has described the sharp increase in the number of BECE candidates who did not secure automatic placement into senior high schools (SHS) as worrying and unacceptable.
According to him, the number of affected candidates has risen dramatically from about 13,000 in 2025 to nearly 55,000 in 2026, raising questions about the current placement criteria and their potential impact on children from disadvantaged communities.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Dr Adutwum said the development should not be treated lightly, particularly because of the potential consequences for children in rural communities.
“The 54,000 issue is worrying and shouldn’t happen. It is unacceptable and cannot be excused,” he said.
Dr Adutwum questioned how the number of candidates left without placement could have increased so sharply within a year.
“Because last year, it was 13,000, so how did we jump to over 54,000?” he asked.
His comments come amid growing concerns over the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), after 54,985 candidates were reported not to have secured placement in the initial exercise.
The Ministry of Education has explained that the figure includes candidates who did not meet the requirements for placement, including those who obtained Grade 9 in English or Mathematics.
However, Dr. Adutwum has warned that the situation could have a disproportionate impact on children in rural areas if the data are not properly examined.
“If care is not taken and we do segregation, you will find out most of them are in the villages,” he said.
His concerns come as education stakeholders debate whether the current placement system adequately accounts for differences in students’ backgrounds, learning environments and access to educational resources.
The debate has also focused on the heavy demand for highly subscribed schools. The Education Ministry says 313,283 candidates selected Category A schools as their first choice, despite only 76,417 declared vacancies in those schools.
Meanwhile, the Conference of Heads of Private Second-Cycle Schools (CHOPSS) says its accredited member schools have the capacity to absorb the 54,985 candidates who did not secure public SHS placement and have since released the list of schools.
The controversy has renewed calls for a closer review of the placement criteria to ensure that students who face challenges in particular subjects are not unnecessarily shut out of second-cycle education.
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