The 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates who missed placement under the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) due to their Grade 9 results would not be denied access to Senior High School, the Education Ministry has assured.

Speaking during a press conference, the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak, clarified that the over 54,000 candidates who obtained Grade 9 in either English Language or Mathematics in the BECE have not been disqualified from accessing Senior High School (SHS) education.

The clarification follows concerns and confusion after reports emerged that the affected candidates had not secured placement into SHSs under the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

He indicated that the students in question will be able to gain admission to Senior High Schools through the self-placement process.

“The government has taken a deliberate decision to ensure that these young people are provided with an appropriate pathway to continue their education. So while they may have scored nine in English and math or both, we are still giving them a lifeline through the self-placement system,” the Minister said.

He stressed that the affected candidates remain eligible for placement and should not panic over their initial inability to secure automatic placement.

According to the Ministry, more than 500,000 qualified candidates have already been successfully placed automatically through the CSSPS.

“The narrative, as twisted as it is out there, that somehow government through the ministry is deliberately preventing these 57 [thousand] from getting placed as part of an effort, quote unquote, to collapse the Free Senior High School programme is untrue.”

The Ministry said resolution centres across the country are also operational and available to assist candidates and parents facing genuine challenges with the placement process.

Candidates who are required to undertake self-placement have therefore been encouraged to access the CSSPS portal and follow the necessary steps to select schools with available vacancies.

Parents and guardians who encounter difficulties have also been urged to visit the nearest resolution centre for assistance.

2026 WASSCE

Meanwhile, 74,692 candidates who sat for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) obtained an F9 in Core Mathematics, representing 14.82 percent of the candidates who wrote the subject.

The figure forms part of the provisional results released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for the 2026 WASSCE for school candidates.

According to the results, 306,234 candidates, representing 60.75 percent, obtained grades between A1 and C6 in Core Mathematics.

This means that while more than half of the candidates obtained credit passes in the subject, a significant number failed to achieve a passing grade.

Core Mathematics recorded the lowest A1-C6 performance among the four core subjects.

In comparison, 315,094 candidates, representing 62.40 percent, obtained A1 to C6 in English Language, while 309,605 candidates, representing 62.08 percent, recorded grades between A1 and C6 in Integrated Science.

Social Studies recorded the highest performance, with 393,918 candidates, representing 78.04 per cent, obtaining grades from A1 to C6.

Core Mathematics also recorded a high number of F9 grades compared with the other core subjects.

Integrated Science recorded 76,136 F9 grades, representing 15.27 percent, slightly higher than the 14.82 percent recorded in Core Mathematics.

In English Language, 55,940 candidates, representing 11.08 percent, obtained F9, while Social Studies recorded the lowest F9 figure, with 39,416 candidates, representing 7.81 percent.