Africa Education Watch has raised concerns over a possible placement crisis under Ghana’s Free SHS and TVET programme, warning that thousands of qualified Basic Education Certificate Examination candidates could miss out on admission due to limited school capacity.

In its latest Volume 37 Education Alert Policy Brief, the education policy group projected that although nearly 620,000 students wrote the 2025 BECE, close to 607,000 are expected to qualify for senior high school placement.

However, the organisation cautions that existing infrastructure may be unable to absorb all successful candidates, potentially leaving an estimated 72,000 students without placement if urgent action is not taken.

According to Eduwatch, the challenge is linked to a noticeable decline in transition efficiency, which it says fell from 92 percent in 2024 to 82 percent in 2025.

The report notes that the reduction could intensify pressure on the computerised school selection and placement system during the upcoming admissions period.

The policy brief attributes the growing strain to several factors, including reduced student intake following the gradual phase-out of the Double Track system in some schools, uneven distribution of vacancies across regions, and accessibility challenges affecting student placement choices.

It also identified limited gains from efforts to integrate private senior high schools into the Free SHS programme as another factor contributing to the anticipated shortage of spaces.

Eduwatch warned that unless immediate reforms are implemented, the 2026 academic admissions process could expose major gaps within Ghana’s secondary education system as enrolment numbers continue to rise.

The organisation is therefore urging government to speed up the expansion of boarding facilities, complete stalled educational infrastructure projects, and improve the efficiency of the placement process before placements begin in August.

It further called for stronger collaboration with the private sector to help ease congestion in public senior high schools, cautioning that delays in addressing the situation could result in what it describes as the country’s worst secondary school transition challenge in recent years.