The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has hinted at plans to reclassify some senior high schools across the country in a bid to address persistent challenges with the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
The proposal will see 10 Category A schools downgraded to Category B and another 10 Category B schools upgraded to Category A.
The move, he said, will be supported by major infrastructure investment to ensure equity in school placement.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Ministry on Tuesday, October 14, Haruna Iddrisu explained that the decision is part of efforts to ease pressure on a handful of elite schools during the placement process.
“We have close to 393,000 students competing for only 76,000 spaces. The pressure on Category A schools is too high, and this makes placement less fair and transparent,” he said.
The Minister added that the government will invest in new classroom blocks, dormitories, and laboratories in the selected schools to match their new status.
He stressed that the reclassification will help distribute students more evenly and make the placement system more efficient.
He also highlighted regional inequalities in the distribution of top-tier schools.
“Regions like North East, Savannah, Oti, and Western North have no Category A schools. We intend to deliberately prioritise these areas with infrastructure investments to improve access to quality education,” he explained.
According to Mr Iddrisu, the reclassification is part of a broader strategy to make the CSSPS fairer, more transparent, and efficient for all students, regardless of their location.
The placement system has long faced criticism from parents and education stakeholders over perceived inequalities and the concentration of resources in a few well-endowed schools.
The Ministry says it hopes this restructuring will ease the pressure on Category A schools and create more balanced opportunities across the country.
Cabinet Approves Payment & Absorption of 6,200 Teachers
In a related development, the Minister also announced that Cabinet has approved the absorption of 6,200 teachers who have been working for over eight months without pay.
Mr Iddrisu said the decision follows a petition submitted by the affected teachers to the Ministry of Education over their prolonged service without remuneration.
“A few weeks ago, myself and the Chief Director received a petition from some teachers who were unhappy with the government over their unending work for a number of months without their pay,” he said. “I’m happy to announce that Cabinet has given approval for the 6,200 teachers to be absorbed. We’ll begin the process in due course.”
The Minister assured that the affected teachers will soon receive their staff identification numbers and be paid their accumulated salaries as part of the government’s commitment to resolving the issue permanently.
Mr Iddrisu further disclosed that Cabinet has authorised the Minister of Finance to reallocate about GH¢1.1 billion to absorb both categories of health workers and teachers who have been awaiting formal posting and salary validation.
“Cabinet gave the Minister of Finance approval to vire about GH¢1.1 billion to absorb a category of health workers and teachers,” he said. “The process will start soon, so there’s no need for further picketing.”
