The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the government to urgently find concrete educational opportunities for 54,985 BECE candidates who were not initially placed in senior high schools and 183,233 WASSCE graduates without a credit in Core Mathematics.
In a statement signed by the NPP Policy Co-ordination Committee Chairman, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the party said government must move beyond announcements and provide actual classroom seats, training opportunities and second-chance pathways for the affected young people.
The party criticised the government’s decision to direct 53,887 of the affected BECE candidates to use the self-placement portal, arguing that an online portal does not guarantee a place in a school.
“A portal is not a school place,” the statement read in parts.
The NPP said government figures indicate that while the country has 859,828 declared vacancies for 623,072 BECE candidates, demand is heavily concentrated in Category A schools, where 313,283 candidates selected such schools as their first choice but only 76,417 places are available.
It therefore urged the government to explore unused capacity in other schools by improving infrastructure, staffing, laboratories and academic programmes. The party also pointed to 85 private schools participating in Free SHS as potential avenues for absorbing some of the affected candidates.
On the WASSCE results, the NPP expressed concern over the performance of candidates in English Language and Core Mathematics, saying both subjects recorded results below their 2024 levels.
The party rejected the explanation that poor results were mainly linked to examination invigilation, arguing that teaching quality, learning time, instructional materials, attendance and student support also influence performance.
It further called for greater use of existing interventions, including academic support and remedial programmes in public SHSs, Free TVET, the National Apprenticeship Policy and the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project, to provide alternatives for the 183,233 school leavers who need another pathway.
The NPP is consequently demanding that government place all affected BECE candidates, clarify the placement rules and pass mark used this year, utilise the 85 private Free SHS schools, strengthen remedial programmes, and publish available TVET, apprenticeship and job-training opportunities for the affected WASSCE graduates.
The party said the affected young people cannot afford to wait for government to respond only after the challenges become public.
“The 54,985 need school places. The 183,233 need a second chance.”
Read the full statement below:
