About 50,000 candidates who sat the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will not gain placement into senior high schools after failing English Language and Mathematics. Out of the 620,000 candidates who wrote the examination, approximately 565,000 have already been placed, with official announcements scheduled for Friday, September 4, 2026.
Speaking in a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Joy FM, the Coordinator of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), Sherif Sulemana, disclosed that changes have been introduced to the placement process, including decentralised complaints centres and digital admission downloads for successful candidates.
He stressed that passing both English Language and Mathematics is a mandatory requirement for placement, regardless of a candidate’s overall aggregate. A candidate may achieve a strong aggregate but still be disqualified if either subject is failed. Responding to concerns about why the decentralised complaints centres have not been extended to the district level, the Press Secretary and Spokesperson for the Minister of Education, Hashmin Mohammed, explained that the Ministry is operating within available resources.
“That would have been the ideal situation,” he said, adding that the authorities would consider extending the system to the district level if the regional arrangement proved insufficient. He said call centre lines would also be provided for candidates in districts located far from their regional resolution centres. On admissions, Mr Mohammed said candidates would no longer travel to collect their admission letters since the placement comes with the admission letter.
