The Education Ministry has assured applicants of tertiary institutions that adequate spaces have been created to admit a large number of them for this academic year. Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudjeto-Ablakwa, told Joy News government has been working with many institutions across the country to expand access. He said the ministry has created additional 350,000 spaces for the two streams of Senior High School (SHS) applicants. He notes that this figure excludes distance learning and sandwich programmes available in some tertiary institutions across the country. There have been concerns only few of the two batches of Senior High School graduates seeking admission into tertiary institutions would gain access, as the number of applicants have doubled. But Okudzeto-Ablakwa said "we have in Ghana at least 142 higher learning institutions" and hence asked applicants, parents and guardians not to be apprehensive about getting admission into universities this year.