To be processed for admission into a senior high school (SHS), qualified graduates of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) who have not been placed in an SHS should go to the closest education office.
This encompasses female candidates who, despite their strong BECE results in 2023, are at home after giving birth. This action is part of the Ministry of Education’s enrollment drive to increase the number of BECE graduates enrolled in SHS.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic on the fringes of the 84th-anniversary speech and prize-giving day of Odorgonno Senior High School last Saturday, the Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, Stephen Abamfo, revealed this.
For the BECE school exam, 600,900 candidates registered in total. Out of the 598,839 results obtained from the West African Examination Council (WAEC), 585,797 candidates qualified to be placed during this year’s initial placement exercise.
A little over 477,772 students, or 81.56%, were assigned by default to one of the schools of their choosing. But 108,025—or 18.44%—of the eligible candidates were unable to find a match with any of their options.
As a result, all of these students were asked to use self-placement to choose from among the open schools. The Daily Graphic has not been provided with up-to-date statistics by the school placement secretariat regarding the percentage of individuals who were not placed who were able to secure placement.
According to Mr. Abamfo, the sector minister had directed the Ghana Education Service’s director general to initiate contact with district and regional directors of education, as well as circuit supervisors, to launch an enrollment campaign.
“An invitation is extended to all students who passed the BECE but were not placed. They should all come to my office, which is open, so we can locate schools to attend. We wish to ensure that no student is left unsupervised. All pupils need to be enrolled in school,” he emphasized.
For action to be taken against them, he said, visitors to the education office should present their BECE results.
“We have some drop-out girls who were pregnant, gave birth, and are now at home. We’ve opened our gates, so they should notify us so we can include them and grant them access to the school as well.
That’s what the government is doing well, he declared. He stated that the BECE graduates could utilize the opportunity until the end of February.
