The Press Secretary to the Minister for Education, Hashmin Mohammed, says senior high schools across the country are prepared to receive students who sat for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and are awaiting placement.

However, he acknowledged that some schools are facing infrastructure challenges due to the increasing number of students seeking admission into the secondary education system.

"The schools are well prepared to receive the students, and this time of the year is not a pleasant one at the ministry because, if we want to look at it from the area of infrastructure, we are very challenged. Like the Minister keeps saying, Free SHS is a very good policy, but we are not able to commensurate with the needed infrastructure to be able to make it well attractive.

It has increased enrollment and access, but in terms of quality, this is something the minister is looking at. It is the reason why we are bringing on board the STARR-J Project," he said.

Mr Mohammed said the Ministry of Education is working to provide additional facilities in schools experiencing pressure on existing infrastructure to improve accommodation and learning conditions.

He explained that the government’s plan is to complete the construction of the needed facilities within two academic years to help address the infrastructure gap in affected schools.

"The government, through the Ministry of Education, is going to expand infrastructure in some of the selected Category A schools that has high demand and some of the Category B and C schools," he said.

"We will not be able to immediately fix the problem because we haven't been able to add that infrastructure. It is the expectation of the ministry that within two academic years, we should be able to have that infrastructure ready," he added.

The Press Secretary made the remarks on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday while discussing the placement process and the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) following the release of the 2026 BECE results.

He assured parents and prospective students that measures are being implemented to ensure a smooth transition from basic to secondary education.

Last week, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released the provisional results of candidates who sat the 2026 BECE.

The Council said the results will be dispatched to schools through the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directors of Education. Candidates can also access their results on WAEC’s official website.

A total of 620,243 candidates from 20,789 schools registered for the examination. They comprised 304,415 males and 315,828 females. The figure included 136 candidates with visual impairment, 282 with hearing assessment needs and 510 candidates with other test accommodation needs.