The Ministry of Education will Wednesday afternoon kickstart the process towards a smooth senior high school (SHS) placement exercise in September with a press briefing at the Ministry.

The press conference will, among other things, direct candidates with the support of parents. and guardians to confirm their details, such as their choices of schools, programmes, and boarding status, with the aid of a link.

This is to help avoid the situation where a male student is placed in an all-female school and vice versa.

It is also to ensure that candidates are not placed in schools that they did not choose.

Verification 

Candidates will be given a link to verify their details and confirm their choices.

"We first want the students to visit the portal to confirm their details before the placement starts," a source at the Ministry told Graphic Online.

It said it is to ensure that the date of the placement, which is expected to be early next month, would be seamless.

Statistics

A total of 603,328 candidates, comprising 297,250 males and 306,078 females from 20,395 participating schools, entered for the school examination.

This includes 72 candidates with visual impairment, 239 with hearing impairment, and 161 candidates with other test accommodation needs.

The examination was conducted at 2,237 centres throughout the country.

Out of the total number, 2,526 candidates were absent.

Per a WAEC statement,  294,454 would be actively involved.  The figure is without those caught up in the Web of cancellation and entire results withheld.

Relying on fate

Additionally, those whose subject results are either cancelled or missing might have to pray that those subjects are not one of the four core subjects: mathematics,  English,  Social Studies and Science.

For the 718 candidates who have subjects cancelled, if any of the core is among those cancelled, they would have to count themselves out of this year's placement exercise.

Regarding the 1,240 candidates whose subject results are withheld,  they would to pray that none of the withheld subjects is one of the core. If so, those candidates would have to wait until they are cleared by WAEC.