Government set to upgrade 20 Category B SHSs to Category A - Haruna Iddrisu

The government is set to upgrade 20 Category B Senior High Schools (SHSs) to Category A status as part of efforts to create more opportunities for students seeking admission to some of the country’s most competitive schools.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu also announced plans to construct 10 new model Category A schools, bringing the total number of schools targeted for Category A status to 30.

The move is aimed at easing the pressure on the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), where thousands of students compete for limited vacancies in Category A schools each year.

Speaking on TV3 on Friday, September 11 2026, Iddrisu said the government had secured $300 million from the World Bank through the STARR-J initiative to support the expansion of infrastructure.

He added that he had directed the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to dedicate between GH¢250 million and GH¢300 million from its 2027 funding formula to expand facilities in 10 Category A schools.

“We are going to convert 20 Category B schools into A, and we will build 10 new model Category A schools in the country,” he said.

According to the Minister, the expansion has become necessary because demand for Category A schools has increased significantly since the introduction of the Free SHS programme.

He cited figures from the 2026 school placement exercise to illustrate the extent of the challenge.

Iddrisu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, said 328,000 students selected Category A schools during the exercise, but only 76,000 vacancies were available.

This, he noted, created a major gap between the number of students seeking placement and the available spaces.

The government believes increasing both the number and capacity of Category A schools will help bridge this gap and provide more students with the opportunity to access their preferred schools.

The expansion is also expected to accommodate the growing number of students entering the secondary education system while reducing the intense competition for limited places in the country’s top-performing schools.

NA/MA