Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has advised parents to better manage their expectations regarding the ongoing 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) placement process.
His remarks follow scenes at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall in Accra on Tuesday, September 23, where hundreds of parents and their children thronged the venue to seek clarity and lodge complaints over placements.
Many expressed frustration over misplaced postings, unfulfilled school choices, and difficulties in accessing preferred institutions.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, September 23, Mr. Asare explained that while the country has more than enough space to absorb the 590,000 candidates who sat for this year’s BECE, the problem stems from competition over particular schools and programmes.
“The resolution starts with parents, because we have more spaces in schools than we actually need. Which means that we have the capacity to absorb all the 590,000 students that want to be placed this year.
“But the issue is that while the country has spaces in our secondary schools, the spaces do not meet the full expectations, tastes and choices of parents and, by extension, the candidates,” he said.
According to him, school placement cannot be treated as an absolute right but must be understood within the context of merit and competition.
“One of the challenges is the over-democratisation of school placement, where you are told that you have the right to choose. But that is not absolute. It is relative within a merit-based system. You may wish to go to Labone SHS to do science, but you must also know that the school is a competitive Category B school.
“So, your chance of going there is not a matter of choosing but also making a competitive grade with respect to the course you are choosing, whether you want to be a day student or not. These two things determine the extent of competition,” he explained.
Mr. Asare added that equitable access to education requires parents to embrace all schools across categories, rather than fixating on a handful of popular institutions.
“So, parents should understand that it is not possible for any government to serve them with the choice of their school for their wards. The only way we can ensure equitable access to second-cycle school is to ensure that all schools, regardless of their categories, are patronised by parents,” he stressed.
