The Education Policy Research and Advocacy Organization, Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), has cautioned that the Free SHS/TVET programme may face challenges in placing all qualified students, as existing school capacity may fall short of rising demand.
In its Volume 37 Education Alert Policy Brief, Eduwatch noted that while approximately 620,000 candidates sat for the 2025 BECE, an estimated 607,000 are expected to qualify for placement. This, it warned, could result in a shortfall of about 72,000 students if urgent measures are not introduced.
The report further observed a sharp decline in transition efficiency, which dropped from 92 percent in 2024 to 82 percent in 2025—a trend the organisation believes could intensify placement pressures. It cautioned that “declining transition efficiency… could generate an effective placement deficit of approximately 72,000 qualified candidates if immediate policy interventions are not undertaken.”
According to the brief, the mounting pressure stems from several structural issues, including reduced intake capacity following the phased withdrawal of Double Track operations in some schools, mismatches between available vacancies and student demand, and geographic barriers affecting placement distribution.
It also points to limited absorption gains from ongoing private SHS integration efforts as a contributing factor to the widening gap between qualified candidates and available school spaces.
Education Watch further warns that without urgent reforms, the 2026 admissions cycle could expose significant weaknesses in Ghana’s secondary education infrastructure, particularly in managing growing student numbers under the Free SHS policy. The organisation is therefore calling for expedited expansion of boarding facilities, accelerated completion of ongoing school infrastructure projects, and improved efficiency in the school placement system ahead of the August placement period.
It also recommends better use of private sector capacity to ease pressure on public schools, warning that failure to act could trigger what it describes as the most severe secondary education transition bottleneck in the country’s history.
Source: William Narh
