The Ministry of Education has emphasized that the placement of 2025 BECE candidates into Senior High Schools (SHSs), Senior High Technical Schools (SHTSs), Technical and Vocational Institutions (TVIs), and private schools under the Free SHS pilot program is completely free.
Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Apaak, during a press briefing on Thursday, September 18, reaffirmed that no candidate or parent should pay any money to secure placement.
“Placement is absolutely free,” he stressed, warning that anyone soliciting fees from parents or guardians should be reported immediately to the police or the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Out of 603,328 students who sat for this year’s BECE, 590,309 qualified for placement. While 483,800 students were successfully assigned to schools, 107,509 candidates were not matched with their initial school choices due to oversubscription in top-tier Category A schools.
To assist these students, the Ministry has activated a self-placement portal allowing candidates to select from schools with available vacancies.
This year, the Free SHS Programme has expanded to include 70 private SHSs under a pilot initiative, adding more options and easing pressure on public schools.
In total, the placement exercise covers 724 public SHSs/SHTSs, 233 TVIs, and the 70 private schools under the pilot.
Resolution centres have been set up at district, regional, and national levels to guide parents and guardians through the placement process.
Dr. Apaak encouraged the public to support students in their educational journey and reiterated that the Ministry remains committed to providing transparent and equitable access to secondary education for all Ghanaian children.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
