Former President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has warned that candidates who were not placed in public Senior High Schools (SHSs) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions under the 2026 Free SHS/TVET programme risk being left without opportunities to continue their education.
Mr Carbonu said the situation could have serious social consequences if the affected candidates were not given another opportunity to improve their results and progress to the next level of education.
Speaking during an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Monday, September 7, he warned that the affected young people could end up on the streets if they were not given another opportunity to improve their results.
“It is a very concerning development because, if these young boys and girls do not get the opportunity to rewrite, then what it means is that we are churning over 54,000 young men and women onto our streets. And the consequences are very dire. It has serious social consequences.”
Mr Carbonu said allowing the candidates to rewrite the BECE could also be challenging, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“We all know the difficulty in rewriting an examination when you are done with a certain level. You’ll also be surprised that those 54,000 come from a certain social bracket. So even the rewriting may become difficult,” he said.
He said the government should consider reviewing the placement policy to provide remedial opportunities for candidates who did not meet the placement requirements.
According to him, one option could be to allow affected candidates to remain at the basic school level and rewrite the relevant subjects to improve their grades.
He noted that while General Science and Social Studies had previously formed part of the placement criteria, the current requirements placed greater emphasis on Mathematics and English, subjects in which many candidates continue to struggle.
His comments come amid concerns over the transition of students from basic to second-cycle education following the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
About 55,000 candidates who sat the examination did not meet the requirements for automatic placement into senior high and senior high technical schools.
The Coordinator of the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) Secretariat, Sherif Sulemana, said about 565,000 of the nearly 620,000 candidates who sat the examination qualified for placement.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has clarified that candidates who were not placed in Senior High Schools after the 2026 BECE can use the self-placement process on the CSSPS to select schools with available vacancies.
