The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the Mahama administration of failing to resolve persistent challenges in Ghana’s second-cycle education placement system, as it challenges government to find actual school places for 54,985 BECE candidates.
The party says the government’s decision to allow 53,887 affected candidates to resort to self-placement online does not adequately address the problem, arguing that “a portal is not a school place.”
In a statement dated September 7, 2026, the NPP said government must move beyond announcements and provide the affected candidates with actual seats in classrooms.
The statement was signed by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, MP, Chairman of the NPP Policy Co-ordination Committee.
According to the NPP, government’s own figures show that there are 859,828 vacancies for 623,072 BECE candidates, meaning the country does not necessarily lack school places but has a capacity and distribution challenge, particularly in highly demanded Category A schools.
The party therefore wants government to explore innovative ways to expand facilities and improve teaching, laboratories and programmes in schools that are being overlooked.
It also recommends that the 85 private schools already participating in the Free SHS programme be utilised to absorb candidates who remain without placements.
The NPP further wants government to publish the final number of affected candidates who eventually secure school placements, saying parents and the public should be able to assess the success of the intervention based on how many students actually get into classrooms.
It is also demanding clarity on the rule and pass mark used in this year’s placement process, including when those standards were approved, arguing that parents deserve to know the requirements before their children sit the examination.
Beyond the BECE placement challenge, the party has drawn attention to the 183,233 young people who completed secondary school without a credit in Core Mathematics.
The NPP is calling for stronger funding of academic intervention and remedial programmes, as well as the publication of available opportunities in TVET, apprenticeship and jobs training programmes across the regions.
The party says these interventions could provide a second chance for young people who may otherwise struggle to progress to university, vocational training or employment.
The NPP says the government must act proactively rather than wait for education challenges to become public before responding, warning that the affected students cannot afford further delays.
“The 54,985 need school places. The 183,233 need a second chance,” the party said, calling for urgent action to protect the future of the affected young Ghanaians.
Source: Purefmonlinegh.com || Evans Osei-Bonsu || 2026
