NPP demands school placement and training opportunities for unqualified BECE candidates, SHS graduates

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the government to take urgent steps to provide education and training opportunities for more than 200,000 young Ghanaians affected by this year's BECE and WASSCE outcomes. In a statement signed by NPP Policy Co-ordination Committee Chairman Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the party said 54,985 BECE candidates who were initially told they had not qualified for secondary school must be given actual places in schools. The government has since announced that 53,887 of the affected candidates can use the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) to undertake self-placement. However, the NPP said allowing students to access an online portal does not guarantee them a place in a classroom. It warned that many of the preferred schools and programmes could be unavailable by the time affected candidates begin the self-placement process. The party argued that the challenge is not a lack of school spaces nationwide. It cited government figures showing 859,828 vacancies for 623,072 BECE candidates, but noted that demand is heavily concentrated in a limited number of popular schools. The NPP also called for the use of 85 private schools participating in the Free SHS programme to accommodate students who remain without placements. At the other end of the education system, the party raised concerns about 183,233 WASSCE candidates who did not obtain a credit in Core Mathematics, a requirement for many university programmes and other opportunities. The NPP said these students should be given a second chance through properly funded remedial programmes, technical and vocational education, apprenticeships and skills training. It also criticised the government's handling of declining WASSCE performance, arguing that poor results should be addressed through better teaching, learning materials, attendance and academic support. The party urged the government to publish the actual number of available TVET, apprenticeship and job training opportunities and match them with the needs of affected school leavers. It said the government must act quickly because the affected young people cannot afford to wait for further announcements about their future.