Government must scrap F9 barrier to SHS admission – Kofi Asare
The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, has called on the government to permanently scrap the use of F9 grades as a barrier to admission into senior high school (SHS).
Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, has urged the government to permanently eliminate the use of F9 grades as a barrier to senior high school (SHS) admission. He believes that every Ghanaian child who completes basic education should have the right to proceed to secondary education, irrespective of their BECE results.
Asare's comments come during the ongoing 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) exercise, where approximately 55,000 candidates were denied placement due to obtaining a Grade 9 in either English Language or Mathematics. While Eduwatch acknowledges the government's decision to permit students with F9 grades to enter SHS, Asare believes the policy should be formally incorporated into the framework of free SHS education to prevent any future changes by successive governments.
He has recommended amending or reviewing the Free Senior High School policy document to explicitly state the requirements for secondary education entry, eliminating the need for potential adjustments by politicians each year. Asare argues that denying students access to SHS due to poor BECE grades would be unjust, particularly since the government bears the responsibility to ensure adequate teaching and learning conditions.
He points out that students with F9 grades are predominantly found in deprived regions, including the northern areas, Oti, and Western North, where challenges like teacher shortages, insufficient textbooks, and inadequate furniture in schools can lead to subpar academic performance. Asare emphasizes that until the government provides adequate facilities in both urban, peri-urban, and deprived areas, students with F9 grades in Maths should not be denied an opportunity to enter free senior high school.
He advocates for a system where no child should be denied secondary education based on their performance at the basic level. Asare also welcomed the current approach of allowing students with F9 grades to proceed to SHS, viewing it as a positive step towards achieving universal access to secondary education.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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