The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, says Ghana’s senior high school (SHS) placement challenges cannot be resolved by simply increasing the number of declared vacancies.

According to him, although the Ghana Education Service (GES) has reported more than enough vacancies to accommodate students seeking placement this year, the figures do not necessarily reflect the actual demand for school places.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Monday, September 9, Mr Asare distinguished between what he described as “actual capacity” and “effective capacity” within the SHS system.

He explained that actual capacity refers to the number of vacancies schools declare for day and boarding students, while effective capacity reflects the spaces that genuinely meet the preferences and needs of families.

“We can have a thousand, thousand, which is great, but the ultimate problem with capacity should meet the demand of Ghanaians,” he said.

Mr Asare said the challenge is particularly evident in the high demand for boarding places.

He noted that the average Ghanaian parent prefers boarding education at the secondary level, meaning that the availability of large numbers of day vacancies does not necessarily translate into adequate capacity from the perspective of families.

“We have the spaces, but they may not meet the sufficient needs of Ghanaians. The spaces exist, but they may not meet the demand.”

Boarding demand remains a challenge

Mr Asare said the situation is not limited to Category A schools, although competition for those schools remains significant.

He explained that many Category B schools also have limited boarding facilities, resulting in students being placed in day arrangements despite having sought boarding.

He therefore urged education authorities to consider the type and location of available spaces when assessing whether the country has sufficient capacity to absorb students entering SHS.

His comments come after the GES said there are about 800,000 vacancies in SHS compared with approximately 600,000 candidates, suggesting that there should be enough overall space for qualified students.

However, Mr Asare said the key question should be whether those spaces correspond with what families actually need.