Over 500,000 Candidates Secure Placement in 2026 CSSPS Exercise

Accra: A total of 527,932 candidates have secured placement into second-cycle and technical institutions under the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). The placements encompass Senior High Schools (SHSs), Senior High Technical Schools (SHTSs), and Technical and Vocational Institutions, representing 87.3 percent of the 604,567 candidates who qualified after the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Clement Apaak, Deputy Minister of Education, announced at a press briefing in Accra that 76,635 qualified candidates were not automatically placed, primarily due to high demand for Category A schools. The successful placements included 276,521 females and 251,411 males. The 2026 placement results were released at 2200 hours on September 4, 2026, following the completion of the processing exercise by the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service (GES), Ghana TVET Service, and technical teams. A total of 623,072 candidates participat ed in the 2026 BECE, marking an increase of 19,744 candidates compared to 2025. Dr. Apaak highlighted that 313,283 candidates selected Category A schools as their first choice, although only 76,417 vacancies were available. In contrast, Category B schools had 250,366 declared vacancies, and Category C schools had 468,652. For Category B schools, 176,614 candidates made them their first choice, while 123,577 opted for Category C schools. Additionally, only 995 candidates chose participating private SHSs/SHTSs as their first choice. Dr. Apaak noted that the issue was not a lack of spaces within the secondary education system but rather a mismatch between available vacancies and candidates' preferences. He advised candidates who were not automatically matched with their choices to utilize the self-placement system to select schools and programmes with available vacancies. The Ministry encouraged candidates using the self-placement system to expand their choices and consider institutions and programmes beyond th e traditionally popular ones.