By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has urged parents to manage their expectations in the ongoing 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) placement exercise.
His advice comes after hundreds of anxious parents and their wards crowded various placement centres in Accra on Tuesday, September 23, seeking corrections to errors and clarifications about postings.
Many parents complained about misplaced postings, unfulfilled school choices, and long queues, with some accusing the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) of unfairness.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Asare said Ghana has more than enough capacity to absorb all 590,000 BECE candidates this year, but competition over a few preferred schools continues to create tension.
“The resolution starts with parents, because we have more spaces in schools than we actually need. The issue is that the spaces available do not meet the full expectations, tastes, and choices of parents and candidates,” he explained.
He cautioned that placement should not be seen as an absolute right but one based on merit and competition.
“You may wish to go to Labone SHS to study science, but you must also know that it is a competitive Category B school. Your placement depends on grades, the programme of choice, and whether you want day or boarding. These determine the level of competition,” he said.
Mr. Asare stressed that equitable access to secondary education requires parents to embrace schools across all categories, not just a few popular institutions.
“It is not possible for any government to guarantee everyone’s school of choice. The only way to ensure fairness is for all schools, regardless of category, to be patronised,” he added.
