‘There is no fight over limited spaces’ — GES assures on SHS placement

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has clarified that there is ample space in senior high schools across the country to accommodate all students who qualify under the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsnight, Daniel Fenyi, Head of the Public Relations Unit, emphasized that there are approximately 800,000 vacant classes in senior high schools, while there are about 637,328 students who qualify for placement.

The GES official stressed that while 87.3% of these qualified students, or 527,932 individuals, have already been automatically placed, those who were not placed can still use the self-placement process.

Fenyi clarified that the concern over limited spaces is misconstrued and that the true picture shows a sufficient number of class vacancies. The challenge, he explained, primarily stems from the high demand for Category A schools, which currently have only around 76,000 vacancies across about 94 to 95 institutions. Even within Category A schools, not every qualified student can be accommodated due to limited space, but he reiterated that this does not mean these students are being denied access to senior high school education. There are still 200,000 class vacancies available in all senior high schools.

The placement process, according to Fenyi, is not solely based on students' aggregate scores. Instead, it takes into account various factors including raw scores, residential status preferences, and the competitiveness of the programs students select. For example, a student with a higher aggregate score might still rank lower if their raw scores are not as high compared to another student with a lower aggregate.

Additionally, students choosing day programs may have an advantage in placement because they do not need the limited boarding facilities that boarding students require. The competitiveness of the programs also plays a significant role, with highly sought-after programs, particularly in science subjects at prestigious schools, facing much greater competition than less popular programs.