Gov’t plans reclassification of SHSs to address placement challenges

The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has hinted at plans to reclassify some Senior High Schools (SHS) across the country in a bid to address persistent challenges with the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

The proposal will see 10 Category A schools downgraded to Category B, and another 10 Category B schools upgraded to Category A.

The move, he said, will be supported by major infrastructure investment to ensure equity in school placement.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Ministry on Tuesday, 14 October, Mr Iddrisu explained that the decision is part of efforts to ease pressure on a handful of elite schools during the placement process.

“We have close to 393,000 students competing for only 76,000 spaces. The pressure on Category A schools is too high, and this makes placement less fair and transparent,” he said.

Mr Iddrisu added that the government will invest in new classroom blocks, dormitories and laboratories in the selected schools to match their new status.

He stressed that the reclassification will help distribute students more evenly and make the placement system more efficient.

The Minister of Education also highlighted regional inequalities in the distribution of top-tier schools.

“Regions like North East, Savannah, Oti and Western North have no Category A schools. We intend to deliberately prioritise these areas with infrastructure investments to improve access to quality education,” he explained.

According to Mr Iddrisu, the reclassification is part of a broader strategy to make the CSSPS fairer, more transparent and efficient for all students, regardless of their location.

The Ministry says it hopes this restructuring will ease the pressure on Category A schools and create more balanced opportunities across the country.