Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) has warned that Ghana’s Free SHS/TVET system may struggle to accommodate all qualified students due to limited school capacity and rising demand.
In its Volume 37 Education Alert Policy Brief, Eduwatch projected that although about 620,000 candidates sat for the 2025 BECE, nearly 607,000 are expected to qualify for placement into senior high and technical schools.
However, the organisation estimates that around 72,000 qualified students could miss out on placement if urgent measures are not taken.
The report also noted a sharp decline in transition efficiency, which dropped from 92% in 2024 to 82% in 2025. According to Eduwatch, this decline is likely to increase pressure on the school placement system.
It warned that the falling transition rate “could generate an effective placement deficit of approximately 72,000 qualified candidates if immediate policy interventions are not undertaken”.
Eduwatch attributed the growing pressure to several structural challenges, including reduced intake capacity caused by the gradual phase-out of the Double Track system in some schools, gaps between available vacancies and student preferences, and geographical barriers affecting placement distribution.
The organisation also cited limited progress in integrating private SHSs into the Free SHS programme as a factor contributing to the shortage of available spaces.
According to the report, failure to address these issues could expose major weaknesses in Ghana’s secondary education system during the 2026 admissions cycle, especially as student numbers continue to rise under the Free SHS policy.
Eduwatch is therefore urging the government to fast-track the expansion of boarding facilities, complete ongoing school infrastructure projects, and improve the efficiency of the placement system before placements begin in August.
The organisation also called for greater use of private school capacity to reduce pressure on public institutions, warning that inaction could lead to what it describes as the most serious secondary school placement crisis in Ghana’s history.
