The Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) Secretariat Coordinator, Sherif Sulemana, has disclosed that about 565,000 candidates who sat for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) have qualified for placement into Senior High Schools.

This is in spite of the fact that nearly 620,000 sat for the exams.

Speaking on JoyFM's Super Morning Show on Thursday, September 3, Mr Sherif said the Ghana Education Service’s analysis showed that a significant number of candidates had met the basic requirements for placement.

“Based on our analysis, we have about 565,000 qualified for placement this year,” he said.

He explained that qualification for placement is largely determined by a candidate’s performance in English Language and Mathematics.

“Those people have not failed in either English or Mathematics. So, you are disqualified from placement if you have failed in either English or Mathematics,” Mr Sherif explained.

His comments come as authorities prepare for the placement of candidates into Senior High Schools and Senior High Technical Schools across the country.

According to Mr Sherif, the examination results also revealed varying levels of performance among candidates, with a considerable number recording low scores in some of the core subjects.

“You find out somebody got one, somebody got ten over 100, somebody got, say, twelve, twenty over 100, and that qualifies as a failure,” he said.

He disclosed that approximately 55,000 candidates did not meet the requirements for placement.

“There are about 55,000,” he stated when asked about the number of candidates who did not qualify for placement.

On the overall performance of candidates, Mr Sherif said only about 17 per cent obtained aggregates ranging from 6 to 18.

“If you look at the data for the performance of the candidates, we only had about 17 per cent of the candidates getting aggregates from 6 to 18,” he said.

He noted that this represented approximately 107,000 candidates.

Mr Sherif further indicated that about 35 per cent of candidates, representing approximately 252,000 students, obtained aggregates ranging from 6 to 24.

“We only had about 252,000, or about 35 per cent of the candidates, getting from aggregate 6 to 24,” he added.

With approximately 620,000 candidates having sat for the BECE, the figures indicate that about 565,000 candidates are expected to be considered for placement, while roughly 55,000 may not secure placement under the stated qualification criteria.