The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced changes to the Computerized School Placement System for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates, aimed at improving fairness and reducing challenges experienced in previous years.
Speaking at a news conference in Accra on April 1, the Minister stated that candidates will no longer be required to complete their school selection process before the release of their examination results.
“Students are to begin the process of making a determination of school choice, but the process should not be completed until the results are announced,” he said.
To support informed decision-making, Mr. Iddrisu disclosed that the Ghana Education Service (GES) will introduce a mandatory one-week window for candidates to finalize their school choices after their aggregates are released.
“This time, we will give a mandatory period of one week before choosing the schools,” he added.
According to the Minister, the adjustment is expected to ensure more accurate placement of students and help minimize the agitations that characterized last year’s placement exercise.
He also addressed concerns about the role of alumni associations in the placement process, cautioning against abuse of the system.
“A dedicated placement window will be made available for alumni, and I plead that the process should not be abused. I am aware that last year, alumni presented a protocol list of about 60,000, which is very difficult to manage,” he noted.
The proposed changes form part of broader efforts by the Ministry of Education to enhance transparency, efficiency, and credibility in the school placement system.
By Daniel Opoku
