SHS placement: Parents throng GNAT hall over no placements
Thousands of parents and students flooded the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall in Accra on Tuesday, turning the national resolution centre into a scene of anxious queues and mounting frustration following the release of the 2025 Senior High School (SHS) placement results.
The rush follows news that 107,509 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates, 18.2 per cent of all qualified students, were not automatically placed in any of their chosen schools.
The Ministry of Education, through the Ghana Education Service (GES), announced the release of the results on Wednesday, 17 September, with an official reporting date set for Saturday, 18 October.
While many families initially expressed relief at the release of the results, that optimism quickly faded for those who either received no placement or were assigned to schools and programmes they had not selected.
The GNAT Hall, designated as a national hub for resolving placement issues, has become the focal point of the tension. Witnesses describe long, winding queues and a palpable sense of anxiety as parents and students navigate the complex self-placement process.
“I came here to change the school that the system gave to my son. Since we got here, the queue has been just overwhelming. I wish he attended a school closer to us, and particularly, we want a day school,” said Daniel Lartey, a parent waiting in the crowd.
According to official Ministry of Education data, 603,328 candidates sat for the 2025 BECE, of which 590,309 qualified for placement. The Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) successfully placed 483,800 students, 82 per cent of the qualified candidates, including 248,038 girls (51.4 per cent). The remaining 107,509 students have been directed to use the self-placement portal.
Deputy Education Minister Dr Clement Apaak acknowledged the challenges but urged patience.
“Not every student will get their first choice, especially in the top-tier schools where demand is high. But there are equally good schools available. Our teams are on the ground to assist, and we are confident that the majority of cases will be resolved,” he said during a monitoring visit.
Dr Apaak added that the 18 October reporting date was deliberately set to allow ample time for outstanding issues to be addressed.
The cases under review at GNAT Hall vary, including gender mismatches, students placed in academic streams despite choosing technical ones, and outright non-placement.
Frustration flared as some parents were denied re-entry to the hall after stepping out to print required documents.
Providing a broader perspective, Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, explained to the media that the challenge is not a lack of capacity but the high demand for a limited number of popular schools.
“We have more spaces in schools than we actually need. But the issue is that while the country has spaces in our secondary schools, the spaces do not meet the full expectations, tastes and choices of parents,” he noted. The Ministry of Education has also warned against paying money to any third party promising placements, stressing that the process remains free of charge.
