SHS Placement Pressure: Why Accra and Ashanti are creating a false national crisis – GES explains

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has dismissed allegations of a national crisis surrounding this year's Senior High School (SHS) placement. According to Daniel Fenyi, Head of Public Relations at the GES, the intense pressure witnessed in Accra and the Ashanti Region does not represent the situation nationwide. The system, known as the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), has seen a significant increase in automatic placements, rising from 447,000 in 2024 to 527,000 in 2025.

This year, automatic placements accounted for 527,000 students, while self-placement dropped to 53,000 as of September 10. Fenyi emphasized that 93% to 95% of students have been placed, dismissing concerns over a 5% margin of error as exaggerated. The shortage of spaces is not the issue, he claimed, as there are about 800,000 spaces available for approximately 600,000 students seeking SHS education.

The GES has established 17 resolution centres across the country to address placement problems, with 15 operating smoothly and the bulk of the pressure currently in Accra and the Ashanti Region. Fenyi stressed that these centres should not be taken as evidence of a national crisis, as the system is functioning efficiently across the board.