Three hundred and ninety-three thousand (393,000) candidates passed their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in 2025, making them eligible to enter Senior High School as the country’s education system demands.

Due to the long-standing prestige attached to fewer than 100 top-tier Category A and B schools, the 76,000 vacancies available in these institutions cannot accommodate the large number of students who prefer them, creating intense pressure on the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

Consequently, the Education Ministry, during a speech at the pre-event briefings and regional stakeholder meetings, ahead of the launch ADEA Triennale 2025 in late October, announced plans to promote fairness and improve access for all qualified candidates starting next year, 2026, by re-categorising some second-cycle schools, a move which has received the President’s approval.

“When it comes to Category A, B, and C schools, every parent understandably wants their child in a Category A school. But in the past month, we haven’t expanded infrastructure in any Category A school to make that possible. My thinking, to ensure equity, is that from 2026 onwards, after consultations and discussions with the President, and with his support and blessing, we will convert at least 10 Category C schools to Category B schools, and 10 Category B schools to Category A schools”, the Minister said.

The re-categorisation will, however, be backed by improved infrastructure facilities in the respective schools to promote a serene academic atmosphere.

“This will be backed by infrastructure improvements, additional classroom blocks, dormitories for students, and quality enhancements through better teaching and learning materials and aids”, Mr Haruna continued.

Addressing a petition brought to his office by a group of concerned and aggrieved teachers who have worked for months without salary, Haruna Iddrisu revealed that, government has earmarked about a million cedis for the payment of their salaries, and about 6,200 teachers will be absorbed and given back pay. While at it, the Education Minister charged the teachers to give their best to ensure academic excellence in the country’s respective educational institutions.

“A few weeks ago, my Chief Director and I received a petition from some teachers who were unhappy with the government over their delayed salaries. They have worked for several months without pay. I’m happy to announce that the Cabinet has given approval for the 6,200 teachers to be absorbed, and the process will begin in due course. They will receive their staff IDs, and as I assured them, they will also get their back pay.

"But having demonstrated goodwill by doing this, we expect something in return, that they remain committed and dedicated to academic work. So, those 6,200 teachers, I think I can speak for both ministries in this matter, the Cabinet has given the Minister of Finance approval to vary the budget and spend about GH₵1.1 billion to absorb a category of health workers and teachers", the Minister noted.

The Education Ministry has announced a transition from prepaid to postpaid meters across all government senior high schools nationwide.

This was announced by the Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, during a speech at the 63rd Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) in Sunyani, held on Wednesday, October 8

The move comes following complaints from headteachers over the unreliability of prepaid meters and the challenges that disrupted power flow causes to academic work.

Ahead of the Minister’s announcement, CHASS National President, Alhaji Yakub A.B. Abubakar, highlighted some of the challenges faced by these headteachers, citing electricity supply disruptions due to prepaid meters.

In response, the Minister said “….And I’m happy to announce that, first January 2026, all CHASS schools will be on post-paid meters. My colleague Hon Jinapor asked me to convey to you that it is possible and that all CHASS schools will be moved to postpaid in order that you will not continue to endure the embarrassment of lights being off”, the minister disclosed.

Over the years, the government-assisted Senior High Schools (SHS) have complained about the interruptions in power supply due to the use of pre-paid meters in the respective schools. Prepaid electricity meters work on a “pay-as-you-go” system, where users buy power in advance and consume only what they’ve paid for.

Consequently, schools had to buy electricity upfront and later seek reimbursement from the Ministry of Education, and this created cash flow problems, especially when government funds were delayed.

Headmasters emphasised that power interruptions affected students’ ability to study, especially during exam preparation periods.

Schools like Mawuli SHS and Presec-Legon reported frequent blackouts when prepaid units ran out, disrupting evening studies and essential services. Mawuli SHS noted that “each time the units run out, we’re plunged into darkness,” which directly undermines academic performance.

The Minister also disclosed that the Education Ministry has cleared the outstanding arrears owed to Primetime Limited, organisers of the National Science and Mathematics Quiz (NSMQ), from 2023 to date.

The Ministry confirmed the disbursement in a statement released on Wednesday, October 8, issued by its Press Secretary, Hashim Haruna.

The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to promoting science and mathematics education through consistent financial support and broader participation.

“The Ministry of Education has released an amount of GH¢9.5 million to Primetime Company to clear all the arrears owed to the organisers of the National Science and Mathematics Quiz competition,” the statement read.

The Ministry also announced that the competition will now include more schools.

“The number of schools in the competition has now been expanded to 177, up from 124 this year,” the statement added.

The organisers of NSMQ released the timetable for the competition on October 1, which included the launch and balloting set for October 7, as well as the preliminaries slated for October 13 to 17.

Two days later, the one-eighth stage will kick off from October 19 to 21, followed by the quarter-finals from October 23 to 25. The semi-finals will take place on October 27, and the grand finale, where the champions will be announced, is scheduled for three days later.

However, CHASS initially announced its intention to boycott this year's competition, citing financial constraints. In a statement dated October 3 and signed by CHASS National Secretary Baro Primus, the organisation informed the quiz organisers that Ghanaian senior high schools would not participate in the balloting or subsequent stages of the 2025 NSMQ.