55,000 BECE Candidates to Miss SHS Placement After Failing English or Mathematics

About 55,000 candidates who sat the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) are expected to miss out on placement into second-cycle institutions after failing either English Language or Mathematics.

The Coordinator of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), Sherif Sulemana, disclosed that approximately 565,000 of the 620,000 candidates who wrote the examination have qualified for placement.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, September 3, Mr Sulemana explained that candidates must pass both English Language and Mathematics to qualify for placement.

“You are disqualified from placement if you have failed either English or Mathematics,” he stated.

This means about 55,000 candidates will be excluded from the 2026 school placement exercise based on the figures provided.

Mr Sulemana, however, clarified that receiving Grade 9 under the standardised grading system does not automatically mean a candidate has failed a subject.

According to him, the raw scores obtained by candidates are also taken into account when determining whether a candidate has passed or failed.

He explained that some candidates who received Grade 9 recorded extremely low raw scores, including marks such as 1, 10, 12 or 20 out of 100, which qualified as failures.

The CSSPS Coordinator also disclosed that only about 17 per cent of the candidates, representing approximately 107,000 students, obtained aggregates between 6 and 18.

He said the figures reflected the overall performance of candidates in the 2026 BECE.

Mr Sulemana further revealed that about 252,000 candidates, representing roughly 35 per cent of the total candidates, obtained aggregates between 6 and 24.

Meanwhile, the CSSPS has activated its call centres to assist candidates and parents with complaints and challenges arising from the placement process.

Mr Sulemana said the arrangement was particularly important for parents and candidates who live far from regional resolution centres.

He urged affected individuals to contact the call centres with their concerns instead of travelling long distances to seek assistance.

According to him, the system will allow complaints to be received and addressed remotely, helping to make the placement resolution process more accessible to candidates and their families.