Expanding Category A Schools Alone Won’t Fix SHS Placement Crisis — Emmanuel Jorobon
National Democratic Congress (NDC ) communication team member, Emmanuel Jorobon has called for a broader overhaul of Ghana’s school placement system, arguing that the persistent pressure on Category A Senior High Schools cannot be solved simply by increasing the number of elite schools.
Speaking on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Jorobon insisted, the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) has faced challenges over the years, largely because most parents want their children placed in Category A schools.
He noted that in the past, teachers played a significant role in guiding students during the school-selection process, helping candidates make choices that reflected their academic performance and realistic placement prospects.
Jorobon acknowledged concerns surrounding the current placement exercise but urged parents and the public to appreciate the technicalities involved rather than attributing every placement difficulty to failures in the system.
He argued that Category A schools continue to experience enormous pressure because of disparities in infrastructure, logistics and incentives between highly rated institutions and schools in the other categories.
“The number of students who apply for Category A schools far outweighs their intake capacity,” he noted.
According to the Ministry of Education, 313,283 candidates selected Category A schools as their first choice, compared with only 76,417 declared vacancies—more than four applicants for every available space.
Jorobon also identified challenges associated with the implementation of the Free SHS program as a contributing factor to the pressure on the placement system.
He further argued that some parents perceive students placed outside Category A schools as receiving inadequate attention and opportunities. He said established Category A schools also benefit from stronger old-student networks, which frequently contribute towards facilities, feeding and other development needs.
Jorobon therefore maintained that simply expanding Category A schools would not provide a lasting solution.
He called for deliberate investment in Category B and C schools, particularly in infrastructure, logistics and educational resources, to bring them closer to the standards of the most sought-after institutions.
“Expanding Category A schools alone can’t solve the problem. All the other categories must be widely improved to leverage the standards,” he argued.
The Ministry of Education has similarly attributed much of the current placement challenge to a mismatch between where vacancies exist and where candidates want to attend. Category B and C schools have substantially more available capacity than Category A institutions.
