{
  "id": 5790440,
  "title": "Review SHS placement policy to give more BECE candidates access – Kwesi Kwarteng",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/review-shs-placement-policy-to-give-more-bece-candidates-access-kwesi-5790440",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T14:59:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/review-shs-placement-policy-to-give-more-bece-candidates-access-kwesi-kwarteng/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former public relations officer for the Ministry of Education, Kwesi Kwarteng, has called for a review of the existing Senior High School (SHS) placement criteria to allow more Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates access to senior high schools. The call stems from the exclusion of approximately 55,000 candidates from the SHS placement process following the 2026 BECE. Out of the nearly 620,000 candidates who took the examination, around 565,000 met the necessary requirements for placement, according to Sherif Sulemana, Coordinator of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) Secretariat. Kwarteng argued that the number of excluded students should not be regarded as a straightforward indicator of their BECE performance. He attributed this exclusion primarily to the current placement policy implemented by the government. He explained that previous NPP administrations permitted students who failed one of the two subjects - either English Language or Mathematics - to still gain SHS placement if they passed the other subject. However, the current policy requires students to pass both subjects to be considered for placement. Kwarteng proposed that candidates who demonstrate competence in at least one of the two core subjects should be allowed to proceed to secondary school. This progressive approach would enable students who might have the potential to excel at the SHS level to continue their education, even if they fail one of the subjects.",
  "summary": "Former Ministry of Education Public Relations Officer, Kwesi Kwarteng, has urged the government to review the current Senior High School (SHS) placement criteria to create opportunities for more BECE candidates to continue their education.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "Review SHS placement policy to give more BECE candidates access – Kwesi Kwarteng",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/review-shs-placement-policy-to-give-more-bece-candidates-access-kwesi",
        "published": "2026-09-05T12:27:35.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}