Spokesperson for the NPP Education Policy Committee, Dr Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, has accused the government of deliberately limiting access to the Free SHS programme, citing the disqualification of about 55,000 candidates from the 2026 SHS placement exercise.
He said the sharp increase in the number of students who failed to meet the placement requirements raises concerns about the government’s commitment to expanding access to secondary education.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, September 16, Dr Bempah Tandoh compared the 2026 figures with previous years, noting that 10,184 students failed to qualify for placement in 2024, while the figure stood at 13,019 in 2025.
He questioned the decision to change the calculation used for the 2026 placement exercise, arguing that it had resulted in thousands of students being excluded from the placement system.
“In this placement period, all of a sudden, some 55,000 students were disqualified from placement.
It was an effort by this government to limit access because, in 2024, the number of students who didn’t qualify was just about 10,184,” he stated.
Dr Bempah Tandoh further alleged that the development formed part of a broader attempt to undermine the Free SHS programme, although he acknowledged that the government has said it intends to review, rather than end, the policy.
His comments follow the announcement by the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) Secretariat that about 55,000 candidates who sat for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) did not meet the requirements for placement into Senior High Schools (SHSs) and Senior High Technical Schools (SHTSs).
The CSSPS Secretariat Coordinator, Sherif Sulemana, said approximately 565,000 of the nearly 620,000 candidates who sat for the examination qualified for placement.
Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews
