SHS placement crisis? GES says 95% of students are already placed

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has reported that approximately 95% of students seeking admission to senior high schools have already been placed, refuting rising concerns about this year's Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). The Head of Public Relations at the GES, Daniel Fenyi, addressed this issue during an interview on Joy News’ PM Express.

Fenyi stated that this year's automatic placements have shown significant improvement, with 527,000 students being automatically placed, compared to 483,000 in 2025 and 447,000 in 2024. He attributed this improvement to a sharp decline in the number of students relying on self-placement, which has dropped from 107,000 last year to 53,000 as of September 10.

According to Fenyi, automatic placements account for about 87% of the total placements, with the remaining 13% being self-placed. He emphasized that the percentage of placed students has reached roughly 93 to 95%, and dismissed claims of a national placement crisis.

Fenyi also addressed concerns about a shortage of spaces, stating that there are approximately 800,000 spaces available for 600,000 students who wish to pursue senior high education. He acknowledged that 17 resolution centres nationwide are in place to handle technical challenges, human error, and individual placement concerns, with 15 centers operating smoothly and Accra and the Ashanti Region experiencing the most pressure.

He reassured stakeholders that the 17 resolution centres are addressing issues effectively, noting that 15 of them are running efficiently. Fenyi urged against characterizing the situation nationwide based on the large numbers of parents at the Accra centre, emphasizing that "Accra is not Ghana."