Deputy Education Minister Dr Clement Apaak has clarified that the challenge some candidates face in obtaining automatic placement into senior high schools stems mainly from an imbalance between available vacancies and the schools candidates are most eager to attend.
Addressing journalists at a briefing on Monday, September 7, Dr Apaak noted that this year’s placement statistics revealed that a substantial share of candidates had listed the sought-after Category A institutions as their top pick, notwithstanding the comparatively few openings at those schools.
He disclosed that 313,283 applicants named Category A schools as their first preference, while 176,614 opted for Category B schools, 123,577 chose Category C schools, and 995 selected participating private SHSs/SHTSs.
The Deputy Minister pointed out that these numbers indicate over half of all first-choice applications were directed toward Category A schools alone.
He stressed that this surge in demand must be weighed against the actual number of openings across the various school categories.
Dr Apaak revealed that the placement system recorded a total of 859,828 declared vacancies among participating schools.
Out of that figure, 76,417 slots were available in Category A schools, 250,366 in Category B schools, and 468,652 in Category C schools.
These statistics reveal a stark gap between the number of candidates vying for spots in Category A schools and the actual openings within them.
Dr Apaak called the comparison telling.
“While 313,283 candidates expressed a first preference for Category A schools, the declared vacancies in those schools stood at 76,417,” he said.
In effect, first-choice applicants for Category A institutions outnumbered the declared vacancies there by more than fourfold.
The Deputy Minister explained that these figures help clarify why certain candidates may have missed out on automatic placement despite the broader secondary school system holding a considerable number of open slots.
He cautioned against framing the matter as merely a scarcity of places.
“The issue, therefore, is not simply the availability of spaces in our secondary education system,” Dr Apaak said.
“It is largely a mismatch between where vacancies exist and where candidates most strongly prefer to be placed.”
Although Category A schools listed just 76,417 vacancies, they drew first-choice applications from 313,283 candidates.
In contrast, Category B and C schools combined offered more than 719,000 vacancies yet attracted a markedly smaller pool of first-choice applicants.
This disparity demonstrates that the presence of openings elsewhere in the system does not guarantee a candidate will land a spot at their school of choice.
Dr Apaak urged candidates and their parents to recognise the difference between qualifying for secondary education and actually being placed in a specific preferred school or programme.
“This explains why a candidate may qualify for secondary education but not necessarily secure their preferred school or programme,” he said.
Leave a Reply