The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has called for a major review of Ghana’s boarding school policy to address the recurring challenges associated with the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
In a press statement issued on September 9, 2026, GNACOPS said the annual school placement crisis cannot be solved by focusing only on cut-off points, Category A schools or the CSSPS.
According to the council, the problem is rooted in the country’s heavy focus on boarding education.
GNACOPS argued that government’s continued subsidisation of boarding education has made boarding schools the preferred option for many parents and students across the country.
However, the council noted that boarding facilities have limited capacity. It said dormitories, dining halls and other residential infrastructure cannot be expanded at the same rate as the growing number of qualified students seeking placement each year.
This, it said, creates intense competition for the limited boarding spaces and puts pressure on the CSSPS to distribute scarce places.
GNACOPS stressed that the placement system is only managing a problem created by limited boarding capacity and cannot solve the issue through changes to its algorithm.
The council is therefore calling on the government to consider redirecting a significant portion of resources used to subsidise boarding education towards improving day secondary education.
It proposed the construction and upgrading of quality day schools within communities. It also wants such schools to be adequately resourced to compete with boarding institutions in terms of academic performance.
GNACOPS believes this could help make day education a preferred option rather than a second choice for students who fail to secure boarding places.
The council said urgent action is needed because every academic year without structural reforms leaves another group of students and families facing the same placement difficulties.
