Almost all 2023 BECE graduates placed in various SHS/TVET – MoE

More than 95 per cent of Junior High School (JHS) who sat for the 33rd edition of the BECE have been placed in various Senior High Schools and Technical and Vocational Education and Training, the Minister for Education has said.

Honourable Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum attributed the increase from automatic placement of 81 per cent into their selected schools three weeks ago to more than 95 per cent to measures put in place for a smooth computer school placement.

Addressing the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs, he said “I must admit that we encountered few challenges but notwithstanding we have been able to record over 95 per cent placement which is remarkable for the nation.”

We have new high schools under construction, and science labs are being built in existing schools. WASSCE scores have improved under Akufo-Addo. There is no doubt that we are seeing a major transformation. STEM education has been given a major boost.”

Commenting on challenges which confronted the Computerised School Selection and Placement System, Adutwum said the majority of the second-cycle school (SHS/TVET) placement errors were caused by parents of the BECE students.

Describing the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) as perfect, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum said a challenge emerges from parents who failed to attend meetings for the Senior High School (SHS) selection processes.

“Before the placement exercise, we engage in wide public sensitization on the various media stations in the districts to forestall errors. The computer processes the placements according to our inputs.

Sometimes parents are nonchalant about the choices and selections their wards make and so their wards go through the selection process on their own,” the Education Minister said while addressing the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs.

He however said the Ministry of Education, Free Senior High School Secretariat, Ghana Education Service and TVET Service have set up regional solution centres to address computer school placement challenges reported by students.

“We have established solution centres. All those who have been given schools far from their homes may visit their Regional Education office which will help change the school,” the Minister in Charge of Education told the Chiefs.

Honourable Yaw Adutwum despite the challenges faced by this year’s Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), said the country has recorded the highest second-cycle school (SHS/TVET) enrollment in history.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) on November 28, 2023, released the 2023 Computerised School Selection and Placement System into Senior High Schools and Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools (TVET).

Out of the total number of 598,839 results received from the West African Examination Council (WAEC), 585,797 candidates qualified to be placed. A total of 477,772 (81.56 percent) were automatically placed in one of their choices.

However, 108,025 (18.44 percent) qualified candidates could not be matched with any of their choices and were urged to do self-placement to select from available second-cycle schools at the self-placement module at cssps.gov.gh.