SHS Placement Dilemma: What is happening at the resolution centres?

Throughout Ghana, scores of parents and students continue to flock to school placement resolution centres in pursuit of assistance with concerns stemming from the 2026 school placement process. The resolution centres were established to tackle grievances arising from the system. In Accra, the National Placement Resolution Centre at GNAT Hall has seen large crowds, with parents expressing frustration over long queues and delays.

The situation became so dire on Tuesday that a glass door at the entrance shattered as anxious parents surged to gain entry. By Thursday, the resolution exercise had entered its fourth day, with some parents resorting to overnight stays while waiting for their concerns to be addressed.

A similar scenario unfolded in Kumasi, where over 2,000 parents and students reportedly convened at the Kumasi Technical Institute resolution centre. Many had journeyed from distant locations such as Obuasi. The reporting date for newly placed SHS students, September 18, has further exacerbated the pressure to resolve these issues promptly.

Parents' grievances extend beyond placement issues. Some have been informed that their children were placed in schools other than those they selected. Others are questioning the allocation of day placements to students who had specified boarding preferences. There are also complaints regarding the separation of twins, students far from home, and alterations in their chosen programmes or courses.

One case that has garnered significant attention involves 14 female students from an Ashanti Region school who were mistakenly recorded as male on their CSSPS records, an error that impacted their placement into the girls-only schools they had opted for.

The surge in activity during this year's placement process is attributed to a policy change introduced in April, which permits candidates to select their preferred schools only after receiving their BECE results, as opposed to pre-placement selections in previous years. According to the Ministry of Education, a staggering 313,283 candidates opted for Category A schools as their first choice this year, outpacing the 76,417 vacancies available in that category.

Officials attribute the disparity to the high number of candidates who failed to receive automatic placement. Despite schools reopening and expecting first-year students to report, resolution centres in Accra and Kumasi remain congested days after the release of results, leaving one question unanswered: who is responsible for this predicament?