GES denies CSSPS cut-off points use for 2025 SHS/TVET placement

The Ghana Education Service (GES) says no cut-off points will be used in this year’s second cycle school (SHS/TVET) placement of students who sat for the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

GES comment follows reports circulating on social media and other platforms suggesting that fixed cut-off points are being used in the 2025 edition of the second-cycle school (SHS/TVET) placement process.

According to the cut-off point, students with an aggregate of 6 – 10 will get their first choice of selected second-cycle school, those with 11 – 19 their second choice, 20 -29 their third or fourth choice, 30 – 35 their fifth choice and students with an aggregate of 35 will do self-placement.

But in a social media post sighted by Pretertiary.com, the Ghana Education Service (GES) stated that the placement of candidates, which will be transparent and fair, is primarily based on raw scores.

It said other factors, including the level of subscription or competitiveness of a school, the demand for a particular programme, the candidate’s aggregate, residential preferences such as day or boarding, and catchment area considerations.

Describing such claims as deliberate attempts by unscrupulous individuals to misinform the public. GES has urged students who sat for the 2025 BECE to disregard the report of the cut-off points in the 2025 school placement.

“The Ghana Education Service wishes to clarify that school placement is done primarily based on the raw scores of students. Anyone relying on such so-called cut-off benchmarks has been misinformed,” GES said.

GES further urged parents, guardians, and students to disregard such false publications and assured all stakeholders of a transparent, fair, and merit-based placement system that gives every candidate the opportunity they deserve.

This year, a total of 603,328 candidates, comprising 297,250 males and 306,078 females, from nineteen thousand, five hundred and five (19,505) participating Junior High Schools (JHSs) entered for the school examination.

This includes seventy-two (72 ) candidates with visual impairment, two hundred and thirty-nine (239) with hearing impairment, and one hundred and sixty-one (161) candidates with other test accommodation needs.

The examination was conducted at two thousand, two hundred and thirty-seven (2,237 ) centres across the country. Out of the total number, two thousand, five hundred and twenty-six (2,526) candidates were absent.

The BECE for Private Candidates recorded a total entry figure of one thousand, three hundred and ninety (1,661) candidates. This was made up of eight hundred and fifty-eight (858) males and eight hundred and three (803 ) females.

Fifteen (15) centres, mostly in the regional capitals, were used for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for Private Candidates.  Out of the total number of candidates who entered for the examination, fifty-seven (57) were absent.