Government to upgrade 20 Category B schools to Category A and build 10 new schools

The government is set to upgrade 20 Category B Senior High Schools (SHSs) to Category A status and construct 10 new model Category A schools as part of efforts to expand access to some of Ghana’s most sought-after second-cycle institutions.

The initiative, announced by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, is expected to increase the number of schools available to students competing for admission to Category A institutions and ease pressure on the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

The planned interventions will bring the total number of schools targeted for Category A status to 30.

Speaking on TV3 on September 11, Mr Iddrisu said the government had taken the decision in response to growing demand for Category A schools, particularly following the introduction of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme.

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.

The Minister explained that the expansion was necessary because the number of students seeking placement in Category A schools has increased significantly, while available infrastructure and vacancies have not kept pace with demand.

Mr Iddrisu cited figures from the 2026 school placement exercise to illustrate the scale of the challenge.

According to the Education Minister, approximately 328,000 students selected Category A schools, but only 76,000 vacancies were available.

The significant gap between demand and available spaces has intensified competition for placement in some of the country’s most popular senior high schools.

The situation has also placed additional pressure on the CSSPS, which is responsible for placing qualified students into senior high and technical and vocational education institutions based on their choices, available spaces and other placement criteria.

The Education Minister disclosed that the government had secured $300 million from the World Bank through the STARR-J initiative to support infrastructure expansion in the education sector.

The funding is expected to contribute to the expansion of facilities required to accommodate more students and improve the capacity of selected senior high schools.

Mr Iddrisu also revealed that he had directed the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to allocate between GH¢250 million and GH¢300 million under the 2027 funding formula for infrastructure expansion in 10 Category A schools.

The investment is expected to support the development of additional facilities as part of the broader strategy to increase school capacity.

Mr Iddrisu said the pressure on Category A schools has grown considerably since the introduction of Free SHS, which has expanded access to secondary education for Ghanaian students.

With more young people gaining access to senior high school education, demand for well-resourced and highly sought-after schools has increased.

The government believes that upgrading selected Category B schools while establishing new model Category A institutions will help distribute demand more evenly across the secondary education system.

The planned expansion is also expected to reduce the mismatch between students' preferred schools and available vacancies.

By increasing both the number and capacity of Category A schools, the government hopes to provide more opportunities for students who meet the academic requirements but currently face intense competition for limited spaces.

The initiative forms part of broader efforts to expand infrastructure and ensure that the growth in secondary school enrolment is matched by adequate classroom space, boarding facilities and other essential infrastructure.

If successfully implemented, the upgrade of 20 Category B schools and construction of 10 new model Category A schools could significantly reshape the distribution of high-demand senior high school places across the country.