- Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu insists SHS placements will be based solely on merit.
- He ruled out backdoor access, stressing neither he nor education officials control the placement system.
- Warned against admitting weak candidates (e.g., aggregate 35–37) into Category A schools.
- Promised action against anyone caught manipulating the process.
- Acknowledged infrastructure gaps in top schools like Achimota, Wesley Girls, and Adisadel.
- Placement expanded to private SHSs to ease pressure on public schools.
- Move aligns with extending Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) to secondary education.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has reassured parents and students that this year’s Senior High School (SHS) placement will be strictly merit-based, ruling out any form of manipulation.
Speaking on Thursday, September 25, 2025, the minister stressed that neither he, his deputies, nor the Director-General of Education have access to the placement system. According to him, this safeguard is meant to ensure that only students who have genuinely earned their grades in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) gain access to the top-ranked Category A schools.
Iddrisu made it clear that he would not tolerate situations where candidates with extremely weak results, such as aggregate 35 or 37, end up in elite schools through underhand means. He cautioned that anyone caught attempting to manipulate placements would face sanctions.
Beyond transparency, the minister acknowledged the mounting challenge of infrastructure deficits in many SHSs, a key factor in limiting the number of admissions. He disclosed that he had engaged with the leadership of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) to identify urgent infrastructure needs, such as dormitory and classroom expansion in schools like Achimota, Wesley Girls, Yaa Asantewaa, Temasco, and Adisadel.
Iddrisu admitted that investment in facilities has not kept pace with demand but noted that, for the first time, placement has been extended to private senior high schools. He explained that this expansion is part of efforts to align with the government’s commitment to making basic and secondary education accessible under Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE).
