The Ministry of Education has reacted to what it has described as a misrepresentation of comments made by Minister Haruna Iddrisu regarding the decision to upgrade some secondary schools from their current categories to a higher grade.
The Minister had announced plans by the government to upgrade some Category B schools to Category A while also upgrading some Category C schools to Category B.
According to the Ministry, the remarks by the Minister had been misconstrued by some media houses, with some reporting that the Minister claimed some Category A schools would be downgraded.
In its statement, the Ministry said: “What the Honourable Minister actually stated was that the government, as part of ongoing educational reforms and efforts to ensure equity in access to quality secondary education, intends to elevate ten (10) Category B schools to Category A status and ten (10) Category C schools to Category B status.”
The Minister explained that while there are approximately 76,000 available vacancies in the ongoing placement exercise, the system has received over 393,000 qualified applicants, posing a major challenge to achieving equitable placement.
The Ministry advised the public and media houses to verify information before publication to ensure accurate reporting on matters of national importance.
Below is the full statement from the Ministry
PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION CLARIFIES MISREPRESENTATION ON BECE SCHOOL PLACEMENT REMARKS
Accra, 14 October 2025 – The attention of the Ministry of Education has been drawn to media reports suggesting that the Honourable Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, stated that Category A schools would be downgraded to Category B during his recent engagement with the press on the ongoing BECE school placement exercise.
The Ministry wishes to clarify that this interpretation is inaccurate and does not reflect the Honourable Minister’s statement. At no point did the Minister indicate that Category A schools would be downgraded.
What the Honourable Minister actually stated was that the government, as part of ongoing educational reforms and efforts to ensure equity in access to quality secondary education, intends to elevate ten (10) Category B schools to Category A status and ten (10) Category C schools to Category B status.
The Minister explained that while there are approximately 76,000 available vacancies in the ongoing placement exercise, the system has received over 393,000 qualified applicants, posing a major challenge to achieving equitable placement.
“How can you fill 76,000 vacancies with 393,000 qualified applicants? That’s a near impossibility,” the Minister emphasized.
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu further noted that the persistent pressure on Category A schools stems from their reputation for academic excellence, which continues to attract overwhelming preference from parents and guardians. He, however, highlighted that no additional infrastructure had been provided for these schools in the past year, thereby constraining their intake capacity.
The Ministry urges the public and media houses to verify information before publication to ensure accurate reporting on matters of national importance, especially those relating to education policy.
Issued:
The press secretary to the Honourable Minister for Education
Hashmin Mohammed.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
