There is a scramble across the country over senior high school placement as more than 36,000 Junior High School (JHS) graduates compete for limited space.
At least 36,849 JHS graduates who took part in this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) missed placement to available SHSs.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) had explained the students, representing 8 percent of the total students, recorded Grade 9 in either English Language or Mathematics.
Out of the total 460,849 candidates, the education regulator said 424,092 students qualified to be placed in SHSs of their choice.
The graduates who missed the placement were given 72 hours, starting Thursday August 31 to Tuesday September 5, to select an option.
With less than 14 hours to the deadline, Joy News has gathered most Cafes are choked with graduates, awaiting to join the list of first beneficiaries of government’s free SHS programme.
Under the programme, JHS graduates who qualify to SHS will not be charged admission, library, science centre, computer laboratory, examination and utilities fees.
Free meals would be provided to day students, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had explained in April.
But there is scramble as JHS graduates hop from one café to another to select a school.
Joy News’ Central Region Correspondent, Richard Kwadwo Nyarko reported some cafes he visited in Cape Coast have no space for the teeming graduates.
He recounted a story of a girl who had aggregate 15 but was not placed even when her friend with aggregate 25 had been placed in the school of her choice.
In the Upper West Region, Joy News’ Rafiq Salam reported JHS graduates are stranded because most cafes they visited had either a slow internet or limited computers.
A graduate who trekked 10 kilometers to access the café had the shock of his life when he was told he has to go to Wa to register.
Meanwhile Deputy Education Minister in charge of Secondary education, Dr Yaw Adutwumwa has urged JHS graduates who failed the exam to consider re-sitting the papers next year.